True Love
by Cageyspice
Summary: Sookie Packhouse plays a backwater LA waitress on the show 'True Love'. She was happily shacked up with leading man Bill Compter, when in walked six and a half feet of Norse God named Eric Northgard in the role of Sheriff...C'mon, you've thought about it!
1. Chapter 1

**True Love**

Sookie Packhouse plays a backwater Louisiana waitress on the show _True Love_. She was happily shacked up with her leading man Bill Compter, when in walked six and a half feet of Norse God named Eric Northgard in the role of vampire sheriff…requiring her to do a whole different kind of acting. Can she film their scenes together without yielding to him?

**Disclaimer: I'm not implying there is anything going on between certain actors who shall remain nameless. This is all in good fun. Don't sue me. I also don't own Charlaine Harris or Alan Ball's characters. Again, no suing, OK?**

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><p><strong>Chapter 1<strong>

SPOV

When I decided to take on the role of Anna Staquin, the telepathic waitress in the new show _True Love_, it was with a view to powering down a little and making my life less hectic. The years of constant travel to and from often remote movie locations hadn't done me in yet, but negotiating the emotional quicksand of divas, man-whores and good friends who you never see again just might. I was worn out, and I was looking forward to tucking into a multi-season job where I could settle down a little.

I couldn't imagine my good luck when I walked into my first table read and saw the actor who was to be my leading man. Bill Compter's dark good looks and vivacious personality drew me to him immediately, and I found myself falling hard.

By the time we shot episode three we were living together and had fallen once again…this time into a comfortable domesticity. Well, I'd wanted to settle down, I consoled myself. It just all happened so quickly.

The show had all the earmarks of a hit, and our on-set romance had already drawn the attention of every tabloid in the country. I had thought long and hard about the logic of finding love at work, but like my Gran always said, 'you find love where you find it,' so I dove in headfirst.

As I stepped out of the elevator and walked through the maze of hallways at the production offices, I felt a little sad. Filming the first three episodes was like a honeymoon, but this next episode would introduce some new characters and that's always hard when you have a group that's already getting along so well. It can as easily mess with the chemistry as add to it.

My brain was multi-tasking at worrying about this, while simultaneously scanning over my lines when I barreled head first into something very hard. At the impact my arms wheeled wildly and my hands flew out to grab hold of anything that would help to keep me from flying backwards. I was stunned senseless. I took a deep breath and tried to regain my equilibrium before I made sense of what had just happened. I was staring at light blue fabric, or, not just staring at it, my nose was actually touching it, whatever 'it' was, it smelled wonderful, like the ocean. I looked up and came to the shocked realization that I was smelling a person – a very tall, very firm person.

_Holy hell. _

Looking down at me, with an eyebrow raised and an amused look on his face, was probably the best looking man I had ever seen. Tall, blonde, perfectly muscled, and with eyes that were so light blue that they almost glowed next to his T-shirt, the man looked like a Norse god come to life.

He had obviously put me under some kind of Norse god spell, because I was mesmerized by those eyes and having a hard time getting my mouth to work. "Uh, I, agh, um, gosh, I'm so sorry," I squeaked.

"It's OK," he chuckled as he brought his hands to lightly rest on my shoulders and gave me a little series of pats. Then he applied a bit of gentle pressure and pushed me back a step.

To my total embarrassment I realized I was still invading his personal space because he was leaning against a wall with no way to step away from me himself. That, together with the fact that I was just staring at him and not speaking, made me look like a champion level loser.

"You know, you should watch where you're going. Or maybe wear a helmet," he added with the biggest, cutest, goofiest smile I'd ever seen.

_Oh no._ I had it bad and I had no idea who he even was. I hoped he was just an intern, but he could be an executive, or maybe our guest director. The possibilities for just how embarrassed I should be were endless and got worse as I ran through them.

"Well, I should go," he said. "Um, do you mind letting go of my belt?"

His belt? I looked down and I could practically feel the blood draining from my face. _Jesus Christ, Shepherd of Judea._ Not only had I gripped his goddamn belt buckle with both hands to steady myself, but I was _still_ gripping it. To make matters worse, his jeans were low slung and I could see an inch of skin with a hint of blond hair where the weight from my hands was pulling his pants down even farther. Both hands couldn't be more than an inch from his…_Oh God, Sookie, don't even think about it. _

Every ounce of blood that had drained from my face came back into it with a vengeance and I was now the color of a beet. My knuckles were burning where they brushed against his skin, and I was tingling as if there were an electrical field between us.

"Uh, I, agh, um, gosh, I'm so sorry," I choked.

"It's ok…you can really let go now," he said a little more urgently.

I looked down at my hands, _Sweet Baby Jesus,_ they were still right there holding his belt. As if this moment couldn't be any more of a disaster, I felt like I was about to have a panic attack and when that happens I can't do anything.

Suddenly, large, warm hands were gently prying my fingers from around his belt.

I uttered another unintelligible series of sounds, my eyes pleading insanity, while he looked at me with an unreadable expression. With no better option occurring to me, I turned and fled.

_Not cool, Sookie. _

I consoled myself that I would probably never see him again. These were the offices for so many shows and there were always people coming and going. I hoped we could go to our graves being the only two who knew about it. I hoped he got early onset Alzheimer's.

I slipped into the ladies bathroom and splashed my face with some cold water. I looked up and shook my head as water droplets zigzagged down my flushed cheeks. I laughed a little nervously. It was a laugh or cry moment. Or maybe laugh or _die._ Die of mortification.

'Onward and upward.' That's what my Gran always said. I was going to subscribe to that today. I took a deep breath and made my way to the table read for episode four, hoping to distract myself with the task of meeting my new coworkers and getting the chemistry right. Chemistry. The tall man and I had had some kind of chemical reaction all right.

_Stop, Sookie. Stop. Your boyfriend is behind that door. _

I pushed open the boardroom door and relaxed when I met Bill's eyes. Our easy familiarity calmed me and I scooted in beside him, giving him a quick peck. Our relationship wasn't a secret. Everyone on the set had watched it develop and they were all happy for us.

I kept my eyes on my script. It was always awkward in these meetings to determine who was who – actor, new producer, new director, new writer. I didn't want to offend anyone, so I usually kept busy until I was formally introduced by Allen Bell our creator.

Speak of the devil. "Hi kids," said the ball of energy as he burst into the room. "Okey dokey…smokey. We're changing things up a bit now. This cast is getting bigger and it will just keep getting bigger as the next two seasons play out – and the third if we get lucky and keep getting renewed…which you _know_ we will, because you are all fabulous. Fab-fab-fabulous! Sookie, Bill, I'd like to introduce you to your new cast mates. First up, please give a warm welcome to Eric Northgard who will be playing the vampire sheriff of Area Five, Alex Skarsman."

I looked at Allen and then along his arm and past his pointer finger to the other corner of the large boardroom table. There, sprawled out like a lion in his chair, was Mr. Tall.

_Oh dear God, what did I do to deserve this? I am so fucked._

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><p><strong>AN: C'mon, we all wonder what she really thinks of him. Admit it! This is my first kick at an all human fic. I'd love to know what you think so far… xo Cagey**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Thank you for all of the encouraging reviews and alerts and favorites – you all made my week! I won't be able to pull off sneak peeks for this fic, because it's getting harder to find time to write, and I'm sure you'd all rather have your full chapters sooner. I still really appreciate your feedback and would still love to hear from you all! : )**

**Thank you as always to my fantastic Beta IWishIHadARiver. I bow to her red pen!**

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><p><em>Previously…<em>

_Sookie, Bill, I'd like to introduce you to your new cast mates. First up, please give a warm welcome to Eric Northgard who will be playing the vampire sheriff of Area Five, Alex Skarsman. _

_I looked at Allen and then along his arm and past his pointer finger to the other corner of the large boardroom table. There, sprawled out like a lion in his chair, was Mr. Tall. _

_Oh dear God, what did I do to deserve this? I am so fucked._

**Chapter 2 **

EPOV

When I arrived for my first table read I was nervous as hell. Me – Eric Fucking Northgard, Sweden's Sexiest Man Alive a million times running, member of Sweden's first family of film – nervous as hell. If that sounds contradictory, that's because it is. That wasn't me at all. _Eric Fucking Northgard_ was how I thought of my celebrity persona. The real Eric Northgard was actually a nice guy who wanted to do a good job and who came from a loving family and was raised to not believe the hype. So yeah, I was nervous, and before I'd been in the building for ten minutes I had another reason to be even more nervous. I'd fucked up royally and I hadn't even started yet.

Before today, my biggest worry had been all of the dialogue. Not only was there a lot of it, but I was also going to have to moderate my American accent, which is hard to do when you're not a native speaker. Hearing that subtlety is difficult, let alone having to reproduce it. The English I spoke had a little more of a twang to it, thanks to some time I'd spent in Texas as a child while my Dad was shooting a movie. They wanted more of a middle-of-the-road midwestern accent with hints of my Swedish background popping through. Well, at least that part wouldn't be hard to do. If I couldn't pull off my lines then they'd recast me and be quick about it. I couldn't let that happen. This could be just the break I needed to get my North American career to take off.

I swore under my breath. That was the least of my problems now. _Now_ I was probably about to get sued for assault, or god knows what. I replayed the horrific incident in my head again and felt my insides knot up. I'd been minding my own business, reading over my part when the most radiant blonde I'd ever seen crashed into my life. She grabbed me by the belt to keep from falling, and instead of being dashing and helpful and applying the eyebrow and the smile that has made panties drop across Scandinavia since I sported stubble, I made a bad joke about a helmet and then had to creep her out by getting a monster boner that sent her fleeing in the other direction. _Fuck!_

She was probably an intern and I would get brought up on charges of harassment. Or she could be a writer and she'd write me out of the series. Or she could be our guest director and this member of Sweden's acting monarchy would be royally fucked.

I was so thrown by my nervousness and this spectacular catastrophe that I decided to fall back on the only thing I knew I could do really well – act. I would go in there and _be_ Alex Skarsman, vampire Sheriff of Area Five. If I kept in character then hopefully they wouldn't see anything to make them second-guess their choice of me. Then I'd just wait for the other shoe to drop, and slink back to Sweden before my mug shot hit the tabloids.

I steeled myself and pushed the door open, assuming my role as I stepped over the threshold. I didn't know any of the faces at the table and figured my luck had taken a good turn when I saw that at least the mystery blonde wasn't here. Maybe my day was looking up. I took my time and moved with a swagger and a sinister grace that I had developed specifically for this character. I thought of myself as a lion impersonating John Wayne. I chose the back corner of the room, because that's what a vampire would do. He would be aloof, he would go at whatever speed he chose, and he would pick the location where he had the best vantage point from which to hunt or assess danger. _Fuck yeah_. My character was seeping through my pores. I _was_ Alex Skarsman. I sank down into a chair and sprawled in a way that projected "fuck you" attitude and waited for Allen to arrive to start the read.

The door opened and I trained my eyes on it like a predator, ready to impress.

And in walked my undoing. It was Miss Bonermaker herself. She was like sunshine in a pretty blonde bottle. The hair. Those eyes. That smile. Who _was_ this woman and how could I turn this around and make her mine? I wondered if she would be satisfied with conjugal visits at the prison. I wondered if she would forgive me so we could have our conjugal visits wherever the fuck the mood struck us.

And then in the second mighty blow of the day, she leaned over and kissed the pasty guy I had ignored when I came in. I never even considered that she could be a _Mrs._ Bonermaker. I wondered what their jobs were on this production. I was so screwed. I'd have to find a way to talk to her at the end of the reading and try to smooth things over, if she didn't end my career right the fuck away by accusing me in front of everyone immediately … and I wouldn't blame her if she did.

I tried to ask myself how I had let this happen, but I knew how. She was like a sensory overload of fucking amazing. She had practically been snuggling me she was so close with her nose pressed against my shirt. Her hair had smelled like sunshine and flowers and was the exact same color as mine, as if we were designed to be a matching set. Her petite body had been so warm and soft and her breasts had pressed against me in a fucktacular way. These things alone would probably have been enough, but they made me hyper aware of her hands which had buzzed almost like electricity as they brushed against my skin, tugging my pants low. I swear the tips of her fingers had almost touched…. _Oh shit, not again_. I shifted awkwardly to hide the evidence, but luckily, she wasn't paying any attention.

The exuberant Allen walked in and did the introductions and I felt like a flat of bricks had been dropped on me. That was Sookie Packhouse? I had seen several of her films years ago, but I didn't recognize her with the blonde hair at all. _Fuck!_ I had had Sookie Packhouse's hands in my pants? No wonder I got a hard-on. She could totally get me fired. She was far better known than any other actor in the cast, so if she was creeped out by me I was in a shitload of trouble.

When Sookie's eyes landed on me she turned completely green and then she flushed an angry red. I felt terrible for making her so disgusted and mad. If I were Eric Fucking Northgard, I would simply stride across the table and throw her over my shoulder, but I wasn't that guy. Eric Northgard wanted to crawl across the table and beg her forgiveness and then grovel at her feet and ask her out to a movie that would hopefully include a little bit of kissing and groping afterwards, but I couldn't do that either. Instead, I stuck to my plan and turned on the Alex Skarsman 'charm.' I channeled the aloof lion and fixed Sookie-the-shiny-object with a brief and unreadable expression before turning my attention elsewhere. _Operation Save My Ass_ was in full effect. Whether there was any ass left after I acted it off remained to be seen.

"OK kids, let's get at it! This is a table read for episode three, which is as yet untitled, but in this episode, vampire Stephen takes telepath Anna to the bar Fangtasies, which is owned by the vampire Sheriff Alex. It's the classic triangle folks. Boy brings girl on date. Girl notices other boy. Other boy wants her and makes no boner about it, ha ha," he wheezed as he tried to recover from his joke, looking for a reaction to his impromptu stand-up routine. I managed to deliver a forced smile – thank god I was an actor – but unfortunately this was a little too real for me today.

It was about to get more real. In my third blow of the day, I finally got to hear Sookie use her real voice, not the terrified garbling of earlier. I was enthralled by her infectious personality, her spunky attitude and her wit. I loved her immediately.

And that of course led to the fourth blow of the day. I was nailing my lines like a pro, channeling vampire cool when I completely fucked up by looking at Bill Compter, her boyfriend in real life and onscreen, and calling him by his real name as opposed to his character name.

"So, _Bill_, are you quite attached to your friend?" I erred, stoking the coals behind my eyes. The look never failed. The camera loved it.

It took me a moment of trying to work with my colleagues' cues and trying to decipher their looks of shock to realize what I'd done. Saying your lines out of character to your female lead was the cheesiest, oldest pick-up tactic in the book for actors, and not one I'd ever resorted to, or ever needed to. Not me; no matter how different my celebrity presence and my reality were, I'd never had to use slimy moves to get a date. It was simply a mistake – one of many. At any other time, on any other line, it wouldn't have been a big deal. But there was nothing ordinary about today.

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><p><strong>AN: So, how do you like knowing what's going through Eric's mind? I'd love to hear what you think! **

**I hope to get the next update up a little more quickly this time. New fics are challenging to get started. I need all the encouragement I can get ; )**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: I enjoyed the reviews from the last chapter – you are all wonderful! Some reviewers asked questions, but then had their PM function disabled so I couldn't reply. I always reply to my reviews, so if you didn't hear from me…check your PMs!**

**Thank you IWishIHadARiver! You're such a great Beta to work with. I couldn't be happier with your expert guidance. You make every chapter better : )**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing whatsoever.**

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><p><em>Previously…<em>

"_So, _Bill_, are you quite attached to your friend?" I erred, stoking the coals behind my eyes. The look never failed. The camera loved it. _

_It took me a moment of trying to work with my colleagues' cues and trying to decipher their looks of shock to realize what I'd done. Saying your lines out of character to your female lead was the cheesiest, oldest pick-up tactic in the book for actors, and not one I'd ever resorted to, or ever needed to. Not me; no matter how different my celebrity presence and my reality were, I'd never had to use slimy moves to get a date. It was simply a mistake – one of many. At any other time, on any other line, it wouldn't have been a big deal. But there was nothing ordinary about today. _

**Chapter 3**

**SPOV**

I kept waiting for a sign from him to assuage my embarrassment. Hell, I was blushing furiously. He only needed to look at my cheeks if there was any doubt in his mind how I felt about what I had done … what I had almost touched. But he just shook our hands very professionally and then sat there brooding. There was no compassionate look. No acknowledgement. He obviously hated me for assaulting him.

As much as I tried not to look at him, I couldn't help it. My mortification alone should have been enough to keep my eyes on the floor, but it was like he was made of something magnetic and my head kept slowly betraying me by rotating in that direction. God, I hoped Bill didn't notice. _Eric Northgard_. His name fit him perfectly. He was six and a half feet of smooth muscle and Scandinavian good looks and … _Sookie, focus!_

As the meeting wore on, I saw to my bewilderment that he maintained his steely edge with everyone. I may have ruined my relationship with him, but had I ruined it for everyone? Talk about guilt by association. I held out hope that he was method acting, because as irritating as that was, I didn't want to work with a genuine asshole for however many seasons this show was going to go. I prayed that he could be a nice guy and we could get through this. I mean, he _had _made that adorable helmet joke. Did assholes come up with lines like that? I didn't think so. I also happened to know that his face was capable of smiling. Of course that was all before I failed to get my hands out of his pants. This was all very confusing.

We were half way through reading the scene at Fangtasies and everything was going fine so far. His acting was very good. Actually it was very much like the way he had been acting since he walked in, so maybe he wasn't a good actor, maybe he was just being himself.

When we got to the first scene where we had to converse directly with one another, I had trouble maintaining the strong girl image I had worked up for Anna. His eyes, _holy hell!_ It was like he was trying to burn a hole right through my panties. He didn't need to do this much acting at a table read. _Oh snap_, maybe he wasn't acting. Maybe he thought I had grabbed his belt on purpose and I was one of those girls who made a habit of sleeping her way through the cast. This could turn out to be a real mess. I gulped and delivered my next line like a flustered schoolgirl who was hot for teacher.

And then Allen called me on it, busting me completely. "Sookie, love yah hon, but I want you to take that section again from the top. Don't be so affected by him. He's intrigued by you precisely because you're _not_. Remember that. OK, from the top of that scene, and, go!"

I pulled up my big girl panties and started acting like a grown up actress when the unbelievable happened and knocked me right back into the classroom.

"So, _Bill_, are you quite attached to your friend?" He was addressing Bill, my Bill, not the character, of that I was quite certain. And though he was addressing him, he was looking right at _me_, with an expression that incinerated my panties completely.

I was so unnerved by him that I didn't even know how to respond. I'd had a few moments in this business when I'd almost lost my compass. I knew just what I had to do to find my true South. I dropped my Los Angeles actress persona and dredged up the girl my southern Gran had raised like her own for two months every summer. This was no way to treat a lady. I tried again to formulate a coherent thought I could be proud of…

_He did not just do that. Did he just ask my boyfriend if he was very attached to me? _

"She is mine!" replied Bill, right on cue, clearly none the wiser.

"Yes, I am his," I said, saying my lines, but not sure if we were acting any longer.

"Well, what a pity, for me," Eric said, again with the look. It was volcanic.

I might as well throw this skirt right in the garbage. It would be no good with a hole in it. Well, maybe only good for one thing. _Calling good southern girl Sookie, come in, Sookie! _I tried for another coherent thought…

_This is just a table read. Hearing a leer is one thing, actually leering is quite another. What the hell does he think he is doing? _

I sighed inwardly. I knew what he was doing. He was treating me like a girl who ran around sticking her hands in men's pants and lacked the shame to remove them when politely requested. My heart sank when I realized this wasn't method acting. No matter what I was, _he _was an asshole – asshole enough to come onto someone simply because he thought she was a floozy and deserved to be treated no better than that. Well, I _was _better than that. I deserved better than that. If he couldn't give me the benefit of the doubt then he was arrogant to boot. What a crime putting that personality in such a delicious package. I decided to hate him immediately.

**EPOV**

I had to build some kind of rapport with her. We needed _something_, some common element to share that would give us a connection and help us to build at least a friendship. Then maybe I could work from there. That was wishful thinking. She hated my guts. It was so obvious by the way she practically steamed in my presence. She hadn't turned me in for the hit and run boner, so I was lucky, but this was clearly a special kind of punishment. I wanted, no, I _needed_ her to like me. At the very least we needed to reach a détente. Our characters slowly succumbing to their attraction for each other was the major story arc of the series of books on which this show was based. We were going to be spending a lot of time together creating very emotionally and sexually charged scenes. If we were to be believable I thought we needed to be comfortable working together. I really wanted to do a good job on this show, and I really needed it to be a hit, but as much as that, I needed her to like me. My thoughts sounded like a broken record.

I decided to broach the subject with her. If we could get talking about our characters' romantic arc, then maybe I could feel her out a little and hopefully start to build a foundation. I wanted to show her I was interested in the characters, the story, in working together, in her.

"Have you read the books yet?" I asked her.

"No, I haven't," she replied.

_Seriously? I would have thought they were required reading. Fuck! She had no idea. She needed to know, but I couldn't be the one to tell her, or I'd just creep her out that much more. _

"Well, you should consider it. They are very enjoyable. The stories are great. Your character is such a strong, resourceful, fearless and adventurous woman. We're actually going to have a lot of…scenes together…as the series goes on."

**SPOV**

_Oh great, just what I needed. _Eric Fucking Northgard_ telling me to read the books so I could do a better job of acting with him because we were going to have so many scenes together and clearly I sucked way too much to be in them with him and he needed to improve my grasp of the characterization. Well, he could just go fuck himself. I wasn't going to read them. Allen had told me at casting that he had a different vision for the series, and I was going to stick to my resolve to create my own character based on the scripts. _

I had my assistant deliver the whole series to both my trailer and my home and I flew through the first one in about a day. My anger started to slowly sift away as I admitted to myself that this was really great reading. No wonder they made a show. In no time I cracked open the second book in the series and couldn't put it down. The pages flew until I happened upon a chapter where the vampire sheriff was asked to accompany the waitress to an orgy as a sort of sexy bodyguard. _Oh yes, of course your request was completely innocent, Anna_. As expected, there was action on the hood of a car and it was screeching hot, although nothing really happened. There was kissing, and grinding, and the hottest line ever: "Yield to me." Oh. My. God.

I discovered a newfound skill. Speed-reading.

"I just can't sleep honey, it's too early. I think I'm going to have some milk and read for a bit," I called upstairs to an irritated Bill. We were filming episode three starting at midnight, but I was devouring book number four, and there was no way I was going to bed until it was done. I was young enough that I could pull an all-nighter and still look fresh. Bill needed his beauty sleep.

I read and re-read a shower scene between Alex and Anna a few more times than was healthy for a girl in a relatively new relationship. I was going to have to film those scenes? With him? Why was moisture pooling between my thighs? Oh God. This could not be happening. Could I be crushing on another actor while I was living with my leading man? Where was that compass again? I desperately needed to find South.

SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

"Cut!" Let's take a break people. "OK, Eric, you don't look at her like that now, you look at her like that later. You should be looking at the guy licking your boots right now, not at Sookie."

Eric slouched in his throne and looked pissed off. I tried not to look at him but the magnet in him just kept drawing my gaze in his direction. I needed to figure him out. It was driving me crazy.

Bill reached across the table and softly gripped my hand. "You're doing a marvelous job, sweetheart," he said.

Allen overheard and gave us a big smile.

I squeezed his hand and he leaned across the table to put an unexpected kiss on my lips. Why did I feel like we now kissed more often in public than we did in private?

I stole a glance at Eric to see him turn his attention to his phone, but I didn't miss the angry glare he had been sending in our direction. He really must have thought I was doing a terrible job. But really, he was the one making the mistakes and being so forward about his feelings.

"Two minutes until scene," yelled one of the crew.

Bill and I walked hand-in-hand over to the dais and I sat in the seat near Eric. Bill stood. Eric didn't even register our arrival. He was engrossed in his texts. It was quite rude, actually. The signal to begin the scene was given and Eric immediately assumed the guise of Alex Skarsman.

Not much difference between them if you ask me. He still didn't acknowledge us. Why did I care? My parents and my Gran had raised me better than that. My moral compass was intact thank you very much.

"So, Bill, are you quite attached to your friend?" said Eric, his eyes washing my body with a supernova as he roughly threw my metaphorical compass to the wall and smashed it into a thousand pieces.

_Sweet baby Jesus, why does he keep doing that?_

"She is mine!" said Bill, as if he were referring to a pet. No, not a pet, he really loved his pets. A plant was more like it. He claimed me with all of the ardor he would show a fichus.

_Shit._

"Yes, I am his."

_Shit._

"Well, what a pity, for me," said Eric, and this time there wasn't just heat, there was something else. Regret?

_My loins were screaming._

He held my eye contact and I couldn't let go. My heart started hammering in my chest and adrenaline zinged through my system.

"Cut. Cut!" The words sliced through my consciousness, excising me from the grip of his blue eyes.

"OK, you held that gaze a beat too long kids – a few beats actually...maybe ten. And Eric, make sure you call Bill _Stephen_. Let's take that scene again from the top, and again, you're not crazy about each other yet. You're attracted, but you're just trying to figure each other out, so the look needs a little less…heat."

_Sweet mother of God, what had I gotten myself into?_

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><p><strong>AN: Hmm. Do you think they like each other a little? Maybe? Please share any and all thoughts on this fic with me. I love to hear from you all! : ) Cagey**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: I'm completely tickled by the reviews for this little story of mine. I'm glad we're all having so much fun!**

**Many thanks to Northman Maille who stepped in as Beta on this chapter. It was fun working with you! You really helped bring out the best in this chapter.**

**Check out my profile to see the amazing banner that ReannaCullen made for this fic - it's perfect!**

**Disclaimer: This is complete fiction. I'm not suggesting this is actually happening and I don't own any of these characters.**

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><p><em>Previously…<em>

"_Cut. Cut!" The words sliced through my consciousness, excising me from the grip of his blue eyes. _

"_OK, you held that gaze a beat too long kids – a few beats actually...maybe ten. And Eric, make sure you call Bill 'Stephen'. Let's take that scene again from the top, and again, you're not crazy about each other yet. You're attracted, but you're just trying to figure each other out, so the look needs a little less…heat." _

_Sweet mother of God, what had I gotten myself into?_

**Chapter 4 **

**SPOV**

I stopped my fall with my chin; my bottom lip valiantly cushioned the blow, saving my teeth from a nasty chip. It was a spectacular face plant into Bill's, or rather _our_, coffee table. I looked down and saw that I had tripped over one of the dogs. I looked at the sharp-edged glass and realized with a certain hysteria how much worse it could have been. The adrenaline and the close call left me punchy, and I looked at Bill and started to laugh.

"That was impressive, even for me," I joked, licking my lips and tasting blood. It tasted salty, coppery and interesting, but not even close to palatable.

Bill didn't laugh. He was inspecting the dog, who was fine. He was practically a horse. I hadn't even woken him up. I had only tripped over him, not stepped on him.

I continued my train of thought, "Bill, do you think that blood would taste different to you as a vampire, like maybe sweet, or savory? Or would it still taste the same but, because of the change you had undergone, you would perceive this coppery taste as good?" It was a highly silly question, but I had a big imagination and sometimes I just liked to think about things like that and talk about them.

Bill looked at me in exasperation bordering on irritation. He turned my face gently as if I were a child. "It doesn't need a stitch, it will heal. It's on the inside so it will not show on camera. You should go into the kitchen. We wouldn't want to get your blood on the white shag, we would never get it out."

"Oh c'mon! You have to admit that that was a nine out of ten."

"I am not going to laugh at your clumsiness, Sookie," he said, his lips forming a thin line. "It is not a joke to me. This furniture is expensive and you could have easily broken that table, not to mention cutting your face and ruining your future in this business with an unsightly scar. You need to be more careful."

In his own way, he was telling me he cared, but sometimes I felt like I was living with a grown-up who was just a tad too grown-up. The vivacious personality Bill displayed around our cast mates had drawn me to him. It was a shame it didn't extend as far as our personal life. I found him, more often than not, sounding like a…gosh it felt way too creepy to say 'father,' and that probably wasn't entirely true. 'Mentor' would be a better word. Some days I felt like a protégé, not a partner. I guess what we'd had together on-set made me think he'd be an even more playful, fun-loving boyfriend in private. That's certainly how I saw myself and it was definitely what I loved about him when he was in that mood. But I shouldn't discount that he was loving, stable and physically very attractive to me in a way that wasn't at all intimidating, and made me feel very comfortable in my skin with him. So many celebrities were buff beyond reason and barely looked human. I liked being able to wear my yoga pants and a ponytail and have a quiet cup of tea with my man. We were on the same page there, just maybe not in some other ways. Did I need more? No relationship is perfect.

_What would Eric have had to say about that pratfall? _

I thought back to my run-in with Eric all those weeks ago. The one before I made him hate me. He'd joked that I needed a helmet and his unrestrained smile was one that I'd be happy to see again. I appreciated a goofy grin. I had one of my own to rival it. I didn't think I should count on another smile from him any time soon.

"Maybe I should invest in a helmet," I tried.

Bill looked at me as though I wasn't quite right and said, "Go get some ice on that, darling, we are filming tonight and you don't want to start rumors about collagen injections. Then you will end up in a tabloid with a plastic surgeon dissecting your face and trying to tell the public what you have had done – or what you need to have done."

I sighed and went to get some ice.

I carefully maneuvered around the sharp-edged modern furniture. Bill's apartment, _our_ apartment, looked like a museum. I longed for some worn wooden tables and a couch I could sink into.

"Bill, I mumbled through my ice. What do you think of doing some antiquing when we finish this season? I'd love to choose some pieces together that have a history. They have such warmth."

"Sookie, I do not care for antique pieces. We should create our own history. I like to change my furniture often in order to keep a contemporary look. I don't yearn for the sentimentality of clutter."

"I disagree," I ventured, never one to hesitate when it came to standing my ground. "I think it's important to have pieces that you hold onto and love, that you can pass on. I think it's important, like family and tradition."

"That's all just Hollywood window-dressing darling. Even family cannot be counted on. Keepsakes only tie you down. Possessions should be transient. Your life, your personal experience is all you take with you to the grave. We should be able to pick up and leave this space at any point in time and have our lives intact no matter where we go. I will not create a life filled with emotional baggage."

Cheese and rice, we were only talking about furniture and suddenly I was getting a big speech on the philosophy of life and death. We needed to have this talk now. "Bill, well, when we eventually move into a house, I would like some say in furnishing it. Perhaps we can each choose different rooms to furnish in the style we choose."

"I would never choose to live in a house, Sookie," he replied, incredulous. I have all I need here. I love to live with a view of the sky and the city and no yard to tend to. Plus, renting is far superior to buying."

I gasped a little. I needed a house. I was a Canadian who had moved to New Zealand and I'd spent my whole life traveling to act in films. Summers with my Gran in small town Louisiana were the only part of my life that stayed still. I guess that's what had attracted me to this job. The role of a small town Louisiana waitress and the sound of the accent were things that felt like home to me. And again, TV gave me the chance to put down some roots for a while. A house would help me to have that feeling of permanence and home. But it was more than that. I needed to be in a house because I loved nothing more than to pad out in my bare feet onto the grass of a backyard and let the smells and sounds of a warm summer night envelope me. I needed to get my hands dirty in a garden, and I needed a place to lay down my towel on the grass and work on my tan.

I had to admit to myself that I was a bit crestfallen. I had taken this job to settle down a bit and Bill had been a part of that. It was hard to see he had such a different vision for us.

I sighed. _I guess that's part of being in a partnership – negotiation and compromise._ Maybe I had some growing up to do. I resolved to do a little personal inventory and decided to drop the subject for now. "We can discuss it another time," I said.

I caught Bill raising his eyebrows and snorting a little.

_He is so set in his ways. Hmm. Maybe someone else should be doing a little personal inventory._

"You aren't going to be bleeding into my mouth tonight, are you, Sookie?"

"Well, I thought a vampire would like that," I sassed, moving over to straddle him where he sat on the couch, trying to erase the bad feeling left by our conversation.

"Sookie, save it for tonight. We need our performance to be believable and the more in the mood you are, the better."

"Oh, I guess you're right, Bill," I raised myself up off of him and went to the window to contemplate the view. The scenery was slightly different, but otherwise this apartment in Shreveport felt exactly like the one we shared in L.A.

Tonight we were shooting a scene where I believed Stephen to be dead only to discover him buried in the graveyard. The Location Manager had found us a perfect cemetery not far from the city and we shot there often. Allen had a vision for us to have really hot vampire sex in the dirt of the graveyard. It would be a transition point for my character Anna, shedding her former self and accepting the new primal, animalistic world she was now part of. I was excited for the challenge, I just hoped that Bill and I could muster up the oomph that seemed to be lacking on the home front. I decided not to be too worried, somehow we always seemed to be able to capture the magic when we were working.

SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

Allen swept onto the location like a tornado. "Where's my little on-set love story?" he said in a singsong voice while flapping an entertainment magazine in the air. "You two are the talk of the town. Nothing gets hotter ratings than true love…. Get it? Get it?"

Bill cast me a deep, loving look and a huge smile played over his face as he watched Allen's appreciation of our role in getting the show publicity. Bill animated his face with naughtiness and swooped over and grabbed me, pulling me into his lap. He wrapped his arms around my waist and looked up at me with a saucy wink before giving me a loud and showy smooch.

There's the guy I fell in love with. Maybe I was going to be OK.

Allen theatrically dropped to one knee in front of me, and taking my hand, offered it to Bill. "When're you gonna make it official, huh, Bill? We could have a televised wedding. You could arrive in hearses instead of limos. It would be brilliant!" Instead of waiting for an answer, Allen was too swept up in his own entertainment, and moved on to the next thing his brain leapt to.

I turned to Bill and he looked pensive before he felt my eyes on him. He smiled at me but said nothing. Mischievous Bill was gone. Apartment Bill was back.

It was too early for marriage anyway.

Standing just off set, I noticed a glint of eyes in the dark. They were up high. It was someone tall. As soon as I noticed them, they blinked out of sight.

**EPOV**

I didn't know why I was planning on torturing myself, but I couldn't help it. Sookie and Bill had their 'sex in the dirt' scene to film tonight and I guess I just had to see for myself if they had chemistry. I needed something to hold onto – a glimmer of hope that I should wait. Hell, who was I kidding? I was waiting.

I kept well back. We were filming in the cemetery, so it wasn't hard to stand outside of the work area, and the lights were so bright to capture the scene on film that everyone up there would be blinded, making it impossible to see me.

Bill strode up with a robe pulled tight around him. His scene was going to be challenging. He needed to emerge from a grave. He stepped down into the hole and removed the robe. He was naked except for his cock sock. I wondered why he cared to be so modest.

Sookie leaned in and patted his shoulder but he seemed not to notice.

Bill crouched with his knees curled under him. The space had been designed to leave him with plenty of breathing room. Only his back would be covered with 'dirt'. The crew covered him with a tarp, and then prepared to pour some lightweight mulch on top of him. His crouching position was to keep his face in the breathing space and make it easy to exit the grave for the scene. It wouldn't be very comfortable for him. I knew they needed to get the scene in one take.

"OK kids, two minutes to roll. Sookie! Make some tears for me baby."

"Sure thing. Gimme a minute Allen," she said and started walking right for me.

I crouched down behind a large tombstone and peeked out. She drew to a stop three feet from me, and braced her hands against a statue of an angel. "Cry, Sookie, cry," she whispered to herself. "Think of something sad. Umm…why does he only look like he loves me when we're on set? Do I really have to live without a yard? Why couldn't he be the one to joke about me wearing a helmet?"

_What?_

I heard sniffles, and then sobs. "I don't know what I'm doing with him anymore." Her voice was catching and she was heaving. Those were real tears. She was genuinely upset.

My heart was racing at her closeness. Every cell in my body was screaming for me to reach out to her and take her in my arms. Before I could weigh the logic or creepiness of my actions, my instincts won out.

"Sookie," I whispered as I stood and in one step, reached her side. I placed my hands softly on her bare shoulders.

"You?" she said, and seemed to collapse into me.

I wrapped my arms around her and couldn't help brushing my lips in her sweet smelling hair. She didn't pull away. I tightened my grip and pulled her closer to me in a proper hug. She was dressed simply in a pretty yellow sundress and I could feel every curve as her soft, warm body pressed against mine. Her chest started to heave as she shuddered with sobs. I brushed the strands of hair away from her face, across her jaw and tucked them behind her ear.

It was a tender gesture, one I had wanted to make so many times. All these weeks my body had been aching to have contact with her again.

Sookie tilted her face up to mine and I could just make her out. She was so beautiful and I couldn't believe I had the honor of holding her in my arms and comforting her. I felt her body shift up against mine with the most delicious friction and she threw her arms around my neck and brought her mouth to mine. Her lips were plump, smooth and hot. She hovered them over my own and took a jagged breath before pressing into a kiss. It wasn't tentative. It wasn't soft. She kissed me as if her life depended upon it, and she showed no signs of stopping.

I took it all greedily and gave back just as much. I cupped her face, stroking her tears with my thumbs. I missed instantly the feeling of having my hands pulling her body against mine, but they just couldn't be everywhere at once, as much as they wanted to be.

"OK kid! How're the alligators?" shouted Allen.

Sookie broke off the kiss with a gasp, released her grip on my shoulders and steadied herself with her palm against my chest. "Alligator tears are a go," she called back. She fisted my t-shirt in her hand and opened her mouth to say something, but then abruptly let go of my shirt and looked at her hand as if it were a traitor. She turned, and fled. Again.

"Geeze kiddo! What did ya do? Beat yourself up to get the tears to roll? Your lipstick is a mess and so is your hair."

I couldn't pull myself away. She had me mesmerized. I couldn't believe what just happened.

_What did just happen? _

The make-up artist reapplied Sookie's lip liner and ran her fingers lightly through her hair to smooth out the flyaways. A prop assistant handed Sookie a hand-tied bouquet of flowers and Allen prepared to roll the scene.

Sookie stood on her mark and then when the camera began to film she walked to a grave and sank down in tears as she laid the flowers upon it. Her anguish looked real. She and I were the only ones who knew that it was.

_If you were my girl, you would never cry like that__, Sookie. _

After a moment she rose and started to walk amongst the graves. Her eyes kept meeting mine even though she could not have seen me in the dark. When she reached the grave with the false compartment for Bill, she paused and they changed the camera angle and cleared the location for the nude scene.

My heart was breaking as I watched her. Even without the camera rolling she was still in tears, biting her lower lip in anxiety.

The cameras rolled again and Bill burst his hand through the mulch to grab Sookie's ankle.

I clenched my jaw as I watched Sookie struggle and scream as Bill pulled his naked body on top of her. What followed was a depiction of sex that was rough and brutal and lacked any of the hints of a tender relationship between them.

If it were I, my hands would grip and caress her curves in desperation. My hands would tangle in her hair. I would kiss her as we just had, as if our lives depended upon it.

My cock ached as I imagined myself ravishing her. My body still burned where she had pressed against me. My lips were still warm from her kisses.

_She is kissing him while her lips are still warm from _my_ kisses. _

I couldn't take anymore. I turned to leave and thought first to reach into my pants to adjust my raging erection in case I encountered anyone.

"Ech hmm," came the sound of a throat clearing.

I startled and almost bumped into another person in the dark. A flashlight briefly illuminated the space between us.

"Hello, Eric, getting an eyeful? And a handful too, I see," said Lorena.

The creepy actress had been Allen's personal assistant until she landed the role of Marina, Stephen's maker. She was a family friend of Bill's and she never let anyone forget that she helped him to get the role. She had a lot of pull with Allen, and I don't think there was a single person on set who didn't wonder how much pulling she actually did.

She looked at me, and then down at my hand in my pants, all the while tapping her finger against her lips with a look of calculated mischief on her face. "Now, how do I use this little, I mean _big_, revelation to my advantage?"

_Just how many different ways is this job going to fuck me?_

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><p><strong>AN: Mmm, let us count the ways…**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Sorry for the hiatus everyone. ****I generally post at least weekly, but I had guests here and then was on vacation for a week in the land of no internet, followed by a visit with family. **

**Thank you to my Beta IWishIHadARiver. You put so much thought into each chapter and help me to make each chapter and story its best – _you_ are the bestest! **

**Disclaimer:**** I think all the real-life people who inspired this fic are lovely and in no way sneaking around together. This is pure fiction…made all the more fun by the fact that Askars is now back on the market. What's that? I can swear I hear fangirls squeeing. Oh yeah, and I own nothing!**

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><p><em>Previously…<em>

She is kissing him while her lips are still warm from my kisses.

_I couldn't take anymore. I turned to leave and thought first to reach into my pants to adjust my raging erection in case I encountered anyone._

_"Ech hmm," came the sound of a throat clearing._

_I startled and almost bumped into another person in the dark. A flashlight briefly illuminated the space between us._

_"Hello, Eric, getting an eyeful? And a handful too, I see," said Lorena._

_The creepy actress had been Allen's personal assistant until she landed the role of Marina, Stephen's maker. She was a family friend of Bill's and she never let anyone forget that she helped him to get the role. She had a lot of pull with Allen, and I don't think there was a single person on set who didn't wonder how much pulling she actually did._

_She looked at me, and then down at my hand in my pants, all the while tapping her finger against her lips with a look of calculated mischief on her face. "Now, how do I use this little, I mean __big__, revelation to my advantage?"_

Just how many different ways is this job going to fuck me?

**Chapter 5**

**SPOV**

Why did I keep doing it? Why did I keep falling for guys who seemed wonderful one minute, and completely the opposite the next? Bill wasn't awful at home, but he was boring, which was nothing like the fun exterior I had fallen for at work, in more ways than one. And Eric had given me a brief glimpse of someone very tenderhearted on two occasions now, but the rest of the time he was as ice cold as the vampire he played.

_I obviously love jerks. _

Was I finally admitting it to myself? I had fallen for _Eric the Great_ in two seconds flat. The chemical equation of the smell of him through his shirt, plus the helmet joke, multiplied by that smile equaled one completely smitten Sookie. I was done. Unfortunately, so was he. I had to face facts. _Eric the Great_ was probably just an act that _Eric Fucking Northgard_ put on when he thought he could get somewhere with me. I had to hand it to him – he was good. _Eric the Great_ was spellbinding, mouthwatering, and reduced me to tingles the likes of which I had never felt. In fact any serious physical contact with him would probably completely short out my nervous system. But he wasn't real, of that I was 99.9% sure. He made me think of that nursery rhyme and I recast it with Eric in the lead role as it ran through my head.

_When he was good, he was very, very good, but when he was bad, he was horrid. _

I sighed. I couldn't weather another hot and cold love interest. I needed to erase him from my heart as quickly as possible if I hoped to have one left to speak of. That is, if I could only stop pining for him. Even if he was just a performance, our brief moments together felt like a gulp of air to a drowning girl. I now felt like a woman who had been ruined for real boyfriends forever by watching too many chick flicks. The irony was that I was a movie actress and I still fell for it. Guys like that just didn't exist and my brain knew it, but my heart...

_Stop thinking in metaphors and grab real life by the reins, Sookie._

Maybe I needed to count my blessings and see the positive sides of my relationship with Bill, because after all, he was the one I had thrown my hat in with. Besides, I was crazy if I thought I should go after another actor on the same shoot as my current boyfriend. Even if I broke up with Bill, and Eric and I were able to work as a couple, how awkward would that be? And what would the tabloids say? I had a feeling the publicity wouldn't be the kind Allen wanted.

With my mind reeling from these disparate thoughts, I wound my way through the massive production complex of Hollywood Center Studios, down hallways and past the various sets for the show. When I rounded the corner to the soundstage entrance I almost had another nose-to-shirt-run-in with Eric. I skidded to a halt as silently as I could and held my breath. He was only an arm's length from me as he shouldered open the door. Adrenaline surged through me so forcefully I almost saw stars, and my hand floated up to reach out to him as if I had been animated and was under the control of another power. I came to my senses just in time. Funny how instinct just seemed to take over when I was near him.

When the door finally thunked shut behind him, I leaned against the cold cinder block wall panting and tried to slow my breathing and gather myself. I waited the longest minute of my life before I pushed through the door after him squashing the disappointment of a missed opportunity when I knew it was really nothing of the sort – not really.

We were filming this episode out of order, which is often how it happens. Eric and Bill were going to have their second solo scene together, along with a few other ensemble scenes. Bill had asked me to watch him, which I really didn't want to do. I was sure Eric would think I was there to see him. I wasn't – not really.

Try as I might to keep my focus and steel my resolve, the sight of his six and a half feet of blonde deliciousness swaggering around the stage kept my thoughts straying back to our two run-ins. I couldn't believe that I had kissed him. I think who I had wanted to kiss was the warm, funny and gentle guy who had joked about a helmet with a clumsy girl he didn't know. With his body so close to me in the dark of the cemetery, my face pressed against his shirt, I was transported back to that first moment we had shared in the hallway, and it was easy to believe in him. But with a little distance and the cold light of day, I simply couldn't erase the complete and utter asshole who had body snatched him since then. And even if he hadn't turned out to be a jerk, I couldn't treat Bill so terribly. Our relationship needed to succeed under its own steam, or end. We were committed. We were living together. I needed to give it a chance and figure things out without muddying the waters with this.

Bill walked across the stage and my guilt swung at me like a hammer.

We were on the part of the soundstage where they had constructed Alex's office at Fangtasies. I stood as far off set as I could while still being on it, trying to be unobtrusive. Unfortunately, the only place I could stand was where Bill would have his back to me, allowing Eric to stare at me with impunity. And he did. It was as if every line had a double meaning and every nuance of his speech held a feather's breath of insinuation.

The way he was leaning back in his chair as if the devil could care less, and oozed easy authority over the man I was living with, while simultaneously sending a flood of sex-infused tension my way was so contradictory and impressive it had me wondering if he perhaps _was_ some sort of Norse God with mysterious powers. How could Bill not feel that?

"I'll take the girl," said Eric, his lines sounding a little too real.

"No! You can have anyone you want why do you want her?" replied my boyfriend.

Why _did_ he want me?

My resolve started to falter and I found myself succumbing to a state of intoxication. I let my mind wander as I imagined striding up to him and straddling his solid frame on the chair. I'd look over my shoulder casually at my lackluster beau, "Oh, Bill, I didn't notice you there."

"Mine," Eric would growl as his big hand cupped my cheek, turning my face back to his as he wrapped the other in my hair and explored my neck with his lips…

My breath started to come fast and I could feel the flush start to form on my neck before I shook myself from my haze. I definitely couldn't stand here anymore letting him use his powers on me like that in front of Bill. This was wrong. I really needed to get myself some jerk repellant. Bill could use a spritz of it himself, but at least with him I knew for sure what I was getting now.

I let out an involuntary sigh and both Eric and Bill looked right at me.

_Shit! _

"Sookie, kiddo, we're rolling here! Stop ogling your boyfriend's ass and go get some lunch. You're up next," admonished Allen.

_Double shit!_

I rushed off to prepare for my upcoming scene – and a much needed breath of fresh air. I burst out into the lot and was blinded by the sun and the blast of Los Angeles heat. I blinked until my eyes adjusted and approached my trailer.

"Hi, Sookie," crooned Lorena. She was leaning against the railing of the steps to the trailer she shared with Allen, smoking, wearing a robe that was inappropriate for outdoors. "What's got you so flushed and out of breath? Were you kissing Bill … or someone?"

I frowned at her. What was that all about? "No, I'm in a hurry to get to my trailer and go over my lines, um, see you later."

I slammed my trailer door and flung myself on the couch. I might have cried a little, but I'm not telling.

When I eventually headed back to the set, I consoled myself that most of my interactions this afternoon would be with other actors. We would be filming the scene at Fangtasies where I would question the staff about missing money.

The next few hours passed without incident. I kept my head firmly screwed on, kept it down and did my job, noticing Eric as little as possible outside of each take. I trained my focus on Bill and tried to keep my compass steady.

When Allen announced that he had what he needed for the scene, I left the group to go to make-up. The staking of Longshadow would require a little extra preparation on my part. It wasn't every day you had to look pretty while covered in fake guts.

I was ravenous though, and a stop at the craft services table was a must. I grabbed a bagel and was toasting it when I heard a foot scuff on the tile behind me.

**EPOV**

As Sookie walked away from us her blonde hair and her white dress both swung with the same perky attitude that was so uniquely her. And when she was gone it was as if all of the light had been sucked out of the room … as if she had left some sort of negative space. I chuckled to myself. How on earth had one woman, who I had had so little contact with, bewitched me so completely?

I had to talk to her. _We_ needed to talk.

I excused myself to grab a snack and followed her scent through the maze only to find her at my alibi location.

"Sookie," I breathed, "we need to talk."

"We have nothing to talk about," she whispered.

"You kissed me!" I exclaimed, quietly.

There was a pause – a long one – during which every imaginable emotion passed across her beautiful features.

"You were spying on me in the dark. You took advantage of a moment of weakness." Her face burned red.

"I was trying to comfort you," I replied, embarrassed that she was half right, but wishing she knew how wrong she was about the second part. "I wasn't trying to take advantage. It was an instinct."

"Instinct is right," she quipped.

That stung.

"An instinct to comfort you," I replied, hurt.

She looked properly contrite for a moment and then seemed to make some kind a decision as resolve took over her features.

I took advantage of the silence to plead my case some more. I placed my hand lightly on her forearm and said, "Look, we've gotten off to such a bad start. I at least want to try to get to know you."

"I know your type. I know already that I don't like you, Eric."

My hand fell from her arm and hung limply at my side. "I'm sure you don't really know me, and please just give me a chance to prove you wrong. Maybe I'll grow on you," I suggested, hoping.

"I'd prefer cancer," she retorted.

What was this? Fourth Grade?

"Are you guys role playing?" said Allen's excited voice as his head popped into the room. "I love that combativeness, it's really hot, really hiding what's under the surface for Anna, do you mind if I write that in? I'm just heading over to the writers to tweak the script for episode three of next season. Role-playing! That's awesome dedication to your craft you two. I swear, my casting decisions are golden, _golden_!" He continued to congratulate himself as he walked down the hall.

Sookie and I shared a moment where I thought we might both burst out laughing, but then as quickly as the mood flickered across her face, it was gone, replaced with steely resolve again. I hadn't even had a chance to tell her about Lorena. She spun on her heel and marched out on her little feet.

_This woman is going to be the death of me._

**SPOV**

"Cameras are rolling in 5,4,3,2, and…" Allen made the finger symbol for '1' and Longshadow vomited blood all over me.

It was the grossest experience of my acting life, but also very funny, and very uncomfortable … I was sopping wet and it was very chilly on the set for the bar.

I realized to my embarrassment that the state of my dress left nothing to the imagination. Even with my back turned to Eric, I imagined his eyes boring a hole through me, but that's where I was wrong. He stared at me in character while we were filming, but averted his eyes between takes. Hmm. Was that a kernel of decency I was detecting?

The bottom fell out of my stomach as I considered whether _Eric the Great_ was real and _Eric Fucking Northgard_ was the act. It was the only conclusion that made any of this make sense.

_What have I done?_

"And scene," cried Allen, vibrating with excitement. "That. Was. Awesome, kids! Sookie, you look stricken. Destroyed. Awesome! Emmy-winning awesome!"

I was glad it was Emmy-winning awesome because I had suffered for it.

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><p><strong>AN: Ahhh. It feels so nice to be writing again! Things are going to be looking up for these two soon, and I, for one, cannot wait!**

**Thank you to all of you who have reviewed, favorited, alerted, or read this new story of mine. You're such an encouragement!**

**Two lines of dialogue in this chapter were excerpted from True Blood, Season One, Episode 9, **_**Plaisir D'amour**_**.**

**Two lines of dialogue in this chapter were excerpted from True Blood, Season Two, Episode 3, **_**Scratches**_**.**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: ****Thanks to everyone who stuck with me through my 2 weeks off! Extra special thanks go to my super stealth Beta IWishIHadARiver for getting this chapter back to me so that I could post again so quickly. Seriously, she has x-ray eyes people. I'm not sure what I'd do without her. I hope you all enjoy!**

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><p><em>Previously…<em>

_The bottom fell out of my stomach as I considered whether _Eric the Great_ was real and _Eric Fucking Northgard_ was the act. It was the only conclusion that made any of this make sense._

What have I done?

_"And scene," cried Allen, vibrating with excitement. "That. Was. Awesome, kids! Sookie, you look stricken. Destroyed. Awesome! Emmy-winning awesome!"_

_I was glad it was Emmy-winning awesome because I had suffered for it._

**Chapter 6**

The sound of the surf and the smell of the ocean made me think of home. I took in a deep breath and savored the tang in the air. The tension in my shoulders eased and they charted their course south back to their intended latitude. I hadn't realized just how stressed I had been.

We were sharing a romantic dinner at the Paradise Cove Beach Café in Malibu. The mood was mellow and for once, romantic. Bill was the lighthearted self that I had fallen in love with, and I found myself finally starting to shake off the torpor that had engulfed me for months now.

I had finished out the season in the kind of consuming haze that hits when you are trying to absorb bad news and accept a state of being that makes you feel slightly displaced from reality, set apart from everything going on around you by about 6 inches. I was stuck in my own dimension, watching everyone else go about their normal lives. I had tried to join them. I had visited the wardrobe hamper many times and inhaled Eric's t-shirts to convince myself that I didn't love him. It didn't work. In fact, they felt like the only real breaths I took anymore. I was in hell.

Revelations about Eric's true identity were irrelevant now. It appeared I had made my bed. He wouldn't even look at me. I had figured him out an hour too late, and I couldn't rewind our conversation in the kitchen and tell him that he invaded my every waking thought. But in a cruel twist, if it hadn't been for the conversation in the kitchen, I might never have recognized the real him. If I had met him at the same time as Bill, everything would have played out very differently. Time had made a joke of my life.

I wouldn't say that any of this made it easier to focus on my relationship with Bill, but it felt like there was no going back, so perhaps what it did bring me was resolve. No – resignation. But resolve to give Bill another shot, which wasn't a great place to start, but it was something.

The salt air was rumpling Bill's hair in a very sexy way and he had let himself get some sun this weekend now that we had just finished filming. He said he wanted to look human at the wrap party. I looked at him with fresh eyes. Human looked good on him. When he wasn't coiffed and pale for his role, he was more casual in a way that was almost rugged, and I found it attractive. Luckily today his personality wasn't as buttoned-down either. It was easier to remember, here, like this, all of the reasons that had drawn me to him.

_Seize this moment Sookie. Run with your feelings. _

I interrupted a story Bill was sharing about his antics during his school days by reaching across the table and twining my fingers in his.

He faltered, surprised, and squeezed my hand. He smiled broadly and brought my hand to his lips.

When he didn't resume, I decided to take a stab at making some plans like a normal couple. "Well, the wrap party is tomorrow night, and then, besides appearances, our commitments will be over for a handful of months. What do we plan to do with our summer? Any ideas?" Neither of us had any other projects on our schedule.

"Well, Sookie, I wanted to talk to you about that. I heard that in September there will be a big antique show in Pasadena. I thought perhaps you would take me, and introduce me to your love of antiques. I thought you could redecorate one of our apartments in your own fashion."

_Really?_

Hope sparked in my heart.

Bill obviously didn't miss my reaction, because he smiled and continued, "Perhaps I can learn to love them as much as you do."

My hope flickered into a small, tentative flame.

"However, as far as this summer is concerned, I will be leaving for St. Thomas soon," he said gently.

"What do you mean you'll be leaving for St. Thomas soon?"

"For my family's annual summer retreat. It's Compter tradition. It's legendary. My family has owned land in the Virgin Islands since the 1800s. It was originally a sugar plantation. Now we summer there every year."

_He 'summers' there? Well la-di-da._ Still, surprise or no, it sounded idyllic. Maybe he and I could continue to build on this reconnection we were making.

"Ok, well, it sounds like fun. What do I need to pack?" I asked, already mentally running through my summer casual wear, hoping I had appropriate outfits for meeting the obviously hoity toity Compters.

"You misunderstand, Sookie. It's a family affair, I'm afraid. It's not open to guests," he said calmly.

My hope was abruptly snuffed out.

"Oh," I uttered, embarrassed and confused.

Just then, I heard a familiar grating voice crooning behind me.

"Oh William! Fancy meeting you here. I'm having such a hard time packing," said Lorena as she swept across the deck to us and slung her arm around his shoulder like old pals. "I want to have just the right outfits – casual enough for croquet but dressy enough for G&Ts on the lawn afterwards. Oh! Something like that," she said, running her eyes up and down my yellow print sundress from Target, "just…better quality."

_What?_

"Does your family 'summer' in the Virgin Islands too? Do you own a home there?" I asked.

"Oh, no, well, not there. But we always summer with the Compters. Our fathers are old school chums, aren't they William?" She said, not looking for an answer. "You did know that my father is Carter Carmichael, of the New Orleans Carmichaels? He went to Oxford with William's father."

"But your name is Krasiki?" I said, trying to figure it out.

"Oh yes, from my mother Yvetta. It's Estonian. I thought it sounded exotic and perfect for Hollywood. You know, full of mystery and adventure just like my mother."

"Her mother is a beauty," said Bill. "She came over to Britain with a Russian minister in the 1970s and defected when she met Carter Carmichael. She was originally a dancer, I believe."

So that was how she got the job as Allen's assistant, and then her role. Copley Carmichael was a hotshot in the entertainment business, although his interests didn't end there. What she didn't know was that I went to Columbia with his daughter Amelia and we were roommates and best friends. If I ever felt the need to do some fact checking I knew exactly where to go. Something about this woman didn't feel right.

Lorena made no attempt to leave and I finally made my voice punch through the tornado of thoughts and emotions that was spinning inside of me.

"So, Lorena, what brings you here?" I managed.

"Oh I was just driving by and I had the most overwhelming craving for some crunchy calamari and a glass of red wine. The BVI always makes me think of calamari. Oh William, Doreen makes the best calamari in the world, and her flapjacks make breakfast sinful. I swear just everything tastes better there. Wouldn't you agree?" She said, gazing at Bill wistfully. "You'll see for yourself, Sookie."

Bill shot her a look that did not go unnoticed by either of us.

She smiled sympathetically and placed her hand on mine. "Oh, yes, I'm sorry dear, I forgot about the Compter rules. It's a family retreat. But I'm sure you have lots of other _friends_ you can spend your summer with. Maybe some of our cast-mates? I wonder what Pam is doing this summer? It's a pity Eric is going back to Sweden, not that you'd want to spend time with him. There's a fun one, huh? The guy can't seem to crack a smile to save his life. Maybe he only smiles for special people. I wonder if we'll ever know? Do you know, Sookie?"

"Are you family?" I asked, desperate to get her off of this topic and genuinely curious now about how deep her connection to Bill ran.

"Oh no, of course not. But I'm as good as," she replied as if it were common knowledge.

Clearly, despite co-habitating with Bill, I was not 'as good as.'

I eyed some paddles and decided, decorative or no, they were too securely fastened to the wall to use as a weapon.

"Well we cannot let you dine alone, Lorena. Waiter, please, another chair for our guest," said Bill softly, like a man who knew he was in trouble.

The balance of dinner was awkward to say the least. When we got in the car, I couldn't find it in myself to speak. I had so much going through my head. I understood that it was alright for a family to have traditions, but the fact that Bill didn't feel close enough to me to introduce me to his family was telling. I really couldn't blame him though. Things hadn't been right, and a lot of that had been me. It still hurt like rejection does. Especially since it came right at the moment when I felt he was reaching out to me, and I was rediscovering my love for him at the same time. This wasn't just a setback. It was probably a death knell. But I had to be an adult, and act like an adult. Maybe a summer away from each other would be good. It would give us time to think. We could make decisions when he returned.

Bill respected my silence as we got ready for bed. When I clicked off the light and rolled my back to him, he placed his hand on my shoulder.

"Sookie, I know how hurt you must feel, and for that I am truly sorry. My family is an old family with even older traditions and ideas. It wouldn't be proper to introduce you to them until we were affianced. And I think we both know that we need more time. But I cannot lose you. You are important to me. I hope you will find it in your heart to understand."

I sighed. "I do, Bill. Some time apart will be good. We can see how we both feel when you get back."

"We can start fresh," he said softly. He pecked my shoulder and patted it and within minutes was snoring as if he didn't have a care in the world.

I didn't sleep a wink.

**EPOV**

The last thing I wanted to do was go to the wrap party and watch Sookie laughing and dancing with Bill. I decided to put in my appearance and take my leave as quickly as civility allowed.

I ran my hands through my hair, forgetting that the stylist had sprayed it within an inch of its life. I preferred my hair clean. It was floppy and often made me look like I was about ten, but it was me.

I smoothed out my suit and took a deep breath. "OK _Eric Fucking Northgard_. Off you go."

I hated limo service. I preferred to drive myself. In Sweden there was none of the pomp about being an actor that there was here. I still wasn't used to it, and I hoped to never get used to it. I just wanted to enjoy my work. I _would_ be enjoying this work if it weren't for Sookie.

Sookie. There she was. As I handed off my car to the valet, she was walking into the venue next to Bill, but the space between them seemed too big. I squashed my hope down. She had made herself very clear. Any more attempts on my part would border on harassment.

I followed behind them, mesmerized by her in spite of myself. She could have been wearing a burlap sack; all I saw was her beauty. But it was sad beauty. Her face was smiling, but her eyes were not. I wondered if we were the only two people acting in the room. It was hard to be asked again and again by fans and interviewers about how happy and excited I must be. I wasn't always happy. I had an internal life that no one else could see, and right now it was in turmoil.

The screech of feedback roused me as the DJ booth was invaded by Allen and his exuberance. "OK folks, I want some primo pap shots for the weeklies. Let's show them what a big and happy family we have here. All the male leads have to ask all the female leads to dance at least once, and make sure they snap you having a great time. Here's to a great year, and many more. Let the party begin!"

The music started to thump and Sookie stood alone, looking beautifully lost. Suddenly a meaty hand was thumping my shoulder.

"Eric, Eric, Eric…my steel cold killer of a vampire. Go thaw out with our Sookie over there. She looks like her dance card is empty. Make sure you dance past that guy over there. He's with Entertainment Weekly." All the while he had been leading me to Sookie and even went so far as to place our hands together.

She looked shocked, but there was no graceful way to back out.

"Can I have this dance, Sookie," I asked, my eyes speaking the apology.

She nodded once, biting her bottom lip. It was plump and rose colored and I would never forget the way it felt against mine.

I snapped the memory vault shut and led her onto the dance floor. I turned to face her and brought one hand to the middle of her back, and one hand to her shoulder and we swayed like we were in junior high school.

Despite the foot between us, and our carefully averted eyes, my skin burned where I touched the smooth curve of her back and the beautifully toned softness of her shoulder. I could feel the outline of each of her fingers where she touched me. I swallowed hard and savored the pain of the sensation until the song thumped to a close, and then brought my eyes down to hers to thank her politely.

She turned quickly and walked away, but not before I saw a tear slip down her cheek.

_For me, Sookie? For Bill? Anger? Frustration? Embarrassment? Sadness? Love? Why are you crying?_

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><p><strong>AN: You know I won't be able to keep them apart for long. Do you like where we're headed?**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: I'm so thankful for all of the reviews, alerts and favorites for this story. I love that you're enjoying it! The reviews for Chapter 6 really made me laugh. Don't sugarcoat your hate for Bill or anything! **

**Thank you IWishIHadARiver! I love sharing this experience with you!**

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><p><em>Previously…<em>

_Despite the foot between us, and our carefully averted eyes, my skin burned where I touched the smooth curve of her back and the beautifully toned softness of her shoulder. I could feel the outline of each of her fingers where she touched me. I swallowed hard and savored the pain of the sensation until the song thumped to a close, and then brought my eyes down to hers to thank her politely. _

_She turned quickly and walked away, but not before I saw a tear slip down her cheek. _

For me, Sookie? For Bill? Anger? Frustration? Embarrassment? Sadness? Love? Why are you crying?

**Chapter 7**

**SPOV**

I slip slapped in my flip flops across the white tile in search of my latest library book, a completely engrossing romance about a pirate and his upper-crust hostage whose bodice always seemed to be heaving and threatening to spill the goods. I spotted it on top of the microwave, and on my way there my fingers dragged slowly across the glass-top dining table. It was cold. It was sterile. To me, a table should be dented and worn from years of family meals and get-togethers with friends, as if it has been embossed with memories. Bill and I were the only two who had ever eaten at it and no memories stood out.

I snatched up my novel and jumped over the back of the couch to sink into a good read.

_Oof. _

I should have known better. It was a leather couch of the firm, white, rectangular variety, not one that you could actually relax on, although I was determined to try. For two months at least, this was my place, and I was going to treat it that way.

After ten minutes of shifting uncomfortably, I had to admit that my neck was bent at a ridiculous angle. I had tried throw cushions on this couch, but they always slid down and lay flat, which 'ruined the clean lines of the room.'

I shivered. The AC in this building was always on full blast, even when I tried to adjust it on the thermostat. The all-white décor wasn't helping. I felt like I was lying on an ice floe at the North Pole. I could go up to the roof to work on my tan, but the concrete deck got unnaturally hot and a dip in the indoor pool afterwards was distinctly unsatisfying. Bill was crackers. There was no substitute for a real yard.

"That's it," I huffed. I picked up my phone and dialed to have my car brought around. I was going to the beach. I put on my smallest bikini and my biggest sunglasses, threw on a wrap, and packed my beach bag with a blanket and towels, and of course, my book, and made my way down to the lobby.

"Miss Packhouse. How are you today?"

"I'm well, Luke, thank you. I hope you have an opportunity to enjoy this beautiful day with your twins after your shift."

"That's the plan, Miss, thank you!" he replied with a smile.

"Please, call me Sookie," I said as I stowed my bag on the passenger seat.

"Why, sure," he answered.

The drive to Malibu was lengthy, but I always enjoyed it. It was twisty, and turny, and scenic and uniquely California. When I merged onto the Pacific Coast Highway, I kept my eyes on the beach and chose the best road-side parking I could find for the least populated spot. It was near some traditional Malibu beach homes that had probably been in families for generations and were tiny but worth millions.

I dashed across the highway and sighed when my flip flops reached the sand tufted grass on the edge of the road. I slipped them off and dug my toes into the sand before launching myself down the incline towards the beach. I swear, I could have run into that ocean and not stopped until I reached New Zealand. I would have loved to go home, but I had just enough interviews and photo shoots scheduled to keep me in town.

When I was thirty feet from the water I lay down my blanket and towels, tore off my wrap and sank my body down onto the soft sand. No more hard white excuse for a couch for me. This was more like it.

My time alone so far had been nice – very meditative. Whatever the future held for me, reconnecting with my true self was a priority. It could only do me good. I enjoyed the freedom to paint my toenails in the bedroom at any hour. I watched TV at 3am and changed my days to nights and back again. No longer constrained by Bill's tender innards, I had a daily date with Bobby Flay on the Food Network and made a habit of running to Whole Foods so I could fix up a big mess of whatever he had cooking. But this…_this_ is what I would most happily spend all of my time doing. I couldn't believe I hadn't thought of it earlier.

I couldn't really read while tanning my front, so I closed my eyes and tried not to think of Eric or Bill, or Eric, or Eric, or Eric. Good luck to me. I wondered what he was doing right this moment. Was he in Sweden? Or was he here, under the same sun as me? I suppose he was under the same sun as me even if he was there, depending upon what time it was.

I flipped over and decided to give my book a try to get my mind off of tall blonde people. Except that the pirate was also tall and blonde. I knew there was a reason why I was eating this book like candy.

I closed my eyes and decided to focus on each element of my beach experience. The water alternately lapping and crashing at the shore. The sound of gulls crying. The smell of the salt in the air. The feel of hot contoured sand under my body. The feel of the sun penetrating my skin, warming me, clearing away the chill in my bones. My heart slowed down and my breathing evened out as I fell into a state of deep relaxation.

_Eric. The ocean air smelled like Eric. _

_Stop it, Sookie._

_Eric._

_I want you to want me. I need you to need me. I'd love you to love me. I'm beggin' you to beg me… _

Giving myself a Cheap Trick earworm usually helped to drown out other thoughts. In this case it was ill advised. The lyrics hit a little too close to home.

_Eric in his black wife beater…wanting me._

_Ugh. _

I needed to cool the hell off before I went supernova and turned the beach to glass. I trotted gingerly across the hot sand, my soles protesting, until it gave way to the soft damp sand that always reminded me of brown sugar, and then finally the wet cool sand where water pooled in the depressions you left behind. My feet were enjoying the sensory journey, taking my mind off of other sensory journeys. I marched out into the water and dove into the heart of the first big wave.

There were benefits to having been raised in New Zealand. Serious waves didn't daunt me and I was flooded with memories of summers in Raglan. I loved getting two summers as a kid – one at home, and one with Gran. It was an endless life of summer, until I became busier with work.

As I emerged from the ocean, I spotted a sign on one of the beach houses. It was for rent, with a phone number. It was white, small, well looked-after, and perfect. I just had to do it. I didn't know what would happen with Bill and me when he came home. I was quite sure we were over, but I knew I couldn't sit in that sterile city apartment all summer. I ran and grabbed my phone, threw my wrap on and stood in front of the house, dialing the number.

The friendly voice of an older woman answered and waved out the window at me as I sheepishly admitted my location. She opened the door and called me over.

"Oh, my. But, you are…"

"Yes, that's me," I said. I was used to it.

"Well, can I call you Sookie?"

"Of course!"

"Sookie, I'm Bess. It's a pleasure to meet you," she said with a warm handshake and an even warmer smile. "I've seen that movie you won the Oscar for about ten times. Do the Maori men really look that good? Do you still play the piano? You seem like a very well-raised young woman. I would be delighted to have you rent my home for the summer. I'm off to see my sister in Falmouth, Maine. She's poorly these days and could use the help. In fact, you could move in this weekend if you like. I can buy my ticket now if you're solid about renting it."

People often reacted to fame with verbal diarrhea. I found it very charming, especially on her. "This weekend?" I replied. "That would be wonderful."

"Have you had supper? You look like you have missed a few meals."

Really? I'd been stuffing my face with the stylings of Flay for weeks. "Oh, I couldn't impose, but thank you."

It turned out there was no chance I was getting out of there without being thoroughly fed. And Bess was thrilled that I enjoyed cooking for myself, because she didn't need to clean out her fridge or do anything much to get her home ready for me. All I needed to do was pack a couple of suitcases and I could move right in.

Bess didn't surprise me a bit when she wrapped me in a big hug as I made to go. What did surprise me was what she said next.

"Whatever is on your mind dear, this is the place where you'll figure it out." She closed a spare key into my palm.

I walked out into the sunset with a light heart and as I made my way back along the beach towards my blanket I placed my feet into the very large footprints of a very tall blonde man walking along the beach about a quarter mile in front of me. He looked for all the world like Eric, but then, I thought I saw him everywhere these days.

I would have no problem with having scenery like that all summer. I enjoyed the view of my Eric clone and opened the contacts lists on my phone.

"Hi, Amelia? It's Sookie. What do you think of a beach vacation? I have to do Comic-Con the third week of July, but that's the only time I'll be away. I just rented a beach house in Malibu. Want to come and visit? What do you say?"

"Does that swearing mean yes? Well then get your ass on a plane witchy woman!"

I dropped my phone into my bag, reached down and packed up my blanket, stood up and smacked face first into something smooth, warm and hard…with nipples.

_It can't be._

It was.

"You really do need that helmet," he said.

There it was.

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><p><strong>AN: I'm dying to hear from you!**

**Lyrics excerpted from "I Want You to Want Me" by Cheap Trick, from the album _In Color_, 1977, on the label Epic.**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Wow! There were a lot of very happy, squeeing fangirls in the review roster this week. You all seriously make my day – all of you, every single reader. I love to reply to my reviews, but some reviewers do not have their PMs enabled, or have left reviews without logging in, so I am unable to reply, as much as I'd like to. Thank you to you : )**

**A special thank you to Northman Maille who kindly stepped in to Beta this chapter while my sister was away. You're fast, you're oh so good, and you say the nicest things. Here's to my fellow grammar girl!**

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><p><em>Previously…<em>

_I dropped my phone into my bag, reached down and packed up my blanket, stood up and smacked face first into something smooth, warm and hard…with nipples. _

It can't be.

_It was. _

"_You really do need that helmet," he said. _

_There it was. _

**Chapter 8**

Astrid stepped in front of me, stopping me short despite the fact that she was a very tiny obstruction. Her hands were placed confrontationally on her hips and her expression meant business. If I had learned anything from my best friend over the years, it was not to mess with her.

We were a study in contradictions but we complemented each other perfectly. She was tiny while I was tall, she was dark while I was light, she was outgoing while I was more reserved, and she could mop the fucking floor with me any day of the week.

I was probably the only person who didn't laugh at the idea of Astrid enlisting in the military with me, and it didn't shock me at all when she excelled at hand-to-hand combat and was chosen for the elite SakJakt unit. I was more surprised that I was chosen. When I left, she stayed on and was currently terrifying recruits daily. I loved her deeply. She also scared the shit out of me and was probably solely responsible for not letting me turn into _Eric Fucking Northgard._

"Spill, Eric. Now! I'm not taking one more second of your morose mood spoiling our visit together, or no beer at Kvarnen for you. And if you won't tell me, I'll drag you by your balls down Tjärhovsgatan and every other street in Södermalm until you confess to Grandma Gudrun – because she wants to know how the fuck that country stole your soul and sent you home a shell of a Northgard." She stood on her tiptoes and prodded me sharply in the chest. "Now out with it or I swear I'll give you a roundhouse to your lateral femoral nerve that will have you limping through your next season of that sparkly vampire show!"

"We don't sparkle, Sassa. You really need to get a TV. Beer first, and then I promise I'll tell you everything." I needed to tell someone.

Many beers later, Astrid was inexplicably sober and giving me the lecture of my life.

"You idiot! You were uncomfortable so you resorted to _method acting_? Of course she doesn't know which end is up. You can't share your dorky wonderfulness with her and then be an asshole the rest of the time and have her think you're anything but. As for the boner, I know it's almost impossible for you to believe," she said, rolling her eyes, "but maybe she didn't notice. Maybe she was red because she was blushing from embarrassment, not anger. Have you never seen a girl with a crush? For god's sake Eric, I wondered how you could fuck half the women across the archipelago and still be single. Not every girl is a pitbull like me. Most are more subtle and emotional and need tending like rare flowers." She waved her hands in exasperation as she described these females to which she clearly felt barely related.

I had been an ass. Of course I had confused Sookie. Being worried about being able to hang onto my role, and being worried about being accused of assault, not to mention being completely unglued by Sookie, had created the perfect storm of problems. I'm not sure exactly how I could have handled it differently, but I suppose at the very least _talking and acting like a nice guy_ would have been a start. _Fuck!_ Anything would have been an improvement over how I had handled things.

"Earth to Eric," said Astrid as she casually took the pickle from my plate. "What are you still doing here? Shouldn't you be booking your ticket?"

I went to take my iPhone from my back pocket but quickly changed course to grab my liverwurst on rye before Astrid could eat it. I held it in my mouth like a dog while simultaneously smirking at her, before retrieving my phone. A few minutes later I was booked to return to L.A. in two days time. I couldn't leave immediately, I still wanted to spend some time with my family.

"Get a fucking haircut Marine. What's with you?" she questioned.

"Oh, I had to wear a wig this season, and it was really uncomfortable, so I'm trying to try to grow it out."

Astrid snorted. "No, you had that hair ten years ago and I couldn't stand it then, and I've got to be straight with you, girls dig the short hair. Trust me. Cut it short, like this short," she said measuring a couple of inches for me, "and they'll change your character's hairstyle. Trust Sassa. Have I ever steered you wrong?"

She hadn't actually. She cut to the core of me.

"And Eric, do me a favor. Just be yourself, OK? The real you is ten times sexier and more adorable than _Eric Fucking Northgard_. Remember, you're trying to melt her heart, not her panties."

"Melt her heart, not her panties, got it," I mocked, playfully pretending to enter it into my phone.

Well, if all went well, I hoped to do both.

SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

I spent my days combing L.A., haunting the spots I had heard Sookie mention, or had seen her at in the tabloids. Even the paparazzi didn't seem to be snapping her. I tried to look my best every time I went out, just in case. I had my blue t-shirt on heavy rotation because I hoped it would recall our first run-in, before I fucked everything up.

Despite my tendency to stay up late and sleep the day away when I wasn't working, I tried to keep regular hours to increase my chances of bumping into her. I found a million reasons to need to go to Whole Foods, and I creeped myself out by walking past her apartment building a little too often. I was worried about bumping into Bill, but it never happened.

I stood on the sidewalk outside her building and gazed up at it, wondering which floor she lived on. I could go inside and ask to see her, but I really didn't have that kind of game plan worked out, and again there was the Bill problem. So far, we'd seemed to have the most chemistry when chance made us collide. I hoped this time to manage the 'after' part of the collide better.

"Can I help you, sir?" said a friendly and professional looking concierge, poking his head out of the door of the building.

"Uh, no, I don't think so," I replied, completely at a loss for how to explain my presence here.

"Well, sir, I really must insist on knowing your business here. You see, we have many celebrities living in this building and their privacy and safety is my responsibility, so again, I must ask, why are you standing outside this building for the fifth time this week?"

_Think fast, Eric._

"You're good. I think I've found my building. I am actually a celebrity. I'm better known in Sweden, but I have two American series and a feature film to my name now, so I'm looking for a building with good security…and watchful eyes, if you know what I'm saying," I said, giving him my best raised eyebrow and a nudge.

He nodded knowingly. "I do know, sir. You can never be too careful. There are a lot of stalkers out there."

"Don't I know it," I said, nodding back.

"Luke," he said, offering his hand.

"Pleasure to meet you, Luke. Mine's Eric," I said.

"Well, Eric, we have no vacancies at present, but a certain celebrity who shall not be named just got his ass fired from his sitcom, and I think his unit will be on the market soon. Would you like me to take your number?"

"Oh no, no need. You're right on my way to Whole Foods, so I'll check in periodically. You know us Swedes, we like to shop every day."

"Oh, yeah, right," said Luke, puzzled.

"Well, OK, see you tomorrow then," I said.

"Not if I see you first," said Luke, tapping his eagle eye.

I laughed, hoping he didn't hear the slight nervousness in it.

_Fuck! I've been made._

I looked at my reflection in the mirrored lobby window and decided to take Astrid's advice and get a haircut.

While I sat in the chair, I was leafing through the obligatory gossip rag when I came across a picture of Lorena going through security at LAX, but what the paps didn't catch, and I did, was the identity of the guy behind her in his shades and hat. It was Bill. I scanned the crowd around them to see if Sookie was there. I would know her, disguise or not. She wasn't there. Now that was interesting. Very interesting.

Maybe she had gone to see her Gran? I had heard her mention her many times. Or she could be in New Zealand. At the very least, I knew she'd be back for Comic-Con, so I'd see her there. Trying to run into her was making me look like a first class stalker, I reluctantly admitted to myself that I should stop playing Magnum P.I. and maybe let fate take over.

Tired of the oppressive heat of the city, I decided to turn it to my advantage by taking a day trip to Malibu. I'm not one to enjoy outings alone, but something about the ocean made me feel more connected to home, and it was peaceful just to walk and enjoy the familiar sounds and smells.

I was ambling down the beach, letting the water lap at my feet when I saw a delicious blonde in a bikini throw a wrap around her shapely hips and enter a little cottage. She looked and moved like Sookie. Had fate really worked her magic that quickly? It was unlikely, but I spent the next hour and a half trolling up and down the beach, waiting for her to come back out just in case.

On my third pass, I noticed an unoccupied beach blanket, some flip flops, and a towel nearby. As there was no one else on the beach, I deduced that they must belong to the girl. Maybe I _was_ a budding Magnum P.I. I decided to take a discreet peek at the belongings. Nothing nosy, just a peek. The beach blanket was the standard variety, plaid wool, but the towel was green with a leafy pattern and said quite clearly "New Zealand."

_My girl. It has to be. _

I kept up my surveillance but kept my distances shorter so I wouldn't miss her. When I'd gone a quarter mile or so I turned and my hopeful fantasy was replaced with reality, and I was shocked to see that it was well and truly her.

_Sookie._

She turned away from me and seemed to be making a phone call. I drank in the sight of her in her pale pink bikini. Her skin was sunkissed and smooth, and her curves were toned but soft and absolutely perfect in every way.

_Holy fuck. _

I had gotten an eyeful sometimes on set, but nothing like this. How could one girl have such a sweet, intoxicating, not just personality but _presence_ and also be blessed with a body that looked like it was custom built for grabbing? If there was a god, I wondered if he made a model that looked just like her and said to mother nature, "OK, this is what they are supposed to look like, do not fuck this up." Well, I could not fuck this up, and if I were lucky enough to ever get to touch her again, I would worship her and her body like a new fucking religion.

It occurred to me that I was lucky I hadn't seen this much of her before, or I probably would have fucked things up even worse.

Not wanting to frighten her, or be rude and interrupt her phone call, I stood at a polite distance and waited for her to finish. She seemed to be inviting a friend to come and stay with her – at this beach house.

_Shit. _

Well, I could still ask her on a date.

And then it happened. Again. _Smack._ I decided to begin at the beginning with the hopes of starting fresh.

"You really do need that helmet," I said, and flashed her my dorkiest smile, just like Sassa told me to. And _ping_, like magic, there was hers.

My heart did something that felt potentially life threatening, but I didn't care.

In a rush of words, we both started to talk at the same time, "I'm so sorry I was such a…I think we got off to a… I really want to try again…I owe you an apology."

We both burst out laughing at the perfectly synchronized, unintelligible phrases, likely apologies, which we were both spouting.

She brushed a stray strand of hair from her eyes, shook her head in disbelief, and broke into a quirky smile. She shook her beach blanket back out onto the sand and motioned to it. "I think we need to have a good talk."

_I'm all yours._

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><p><strong>AN: Squeeee! Are you squeeing too?**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: I can't tell you how much I'm enjoying this fic with all of you! Thank you for all of the squeals of encouragement. My husband thinks we're all bonkers.**

**Thank you x1000 once again to Northman Maille who pinch hit on this chapter. Your editing makes me better, and your commentary makes me giggle – a great combination!**

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><p><em>Previously…<em>

_In a rush of words, we both started to talk at the same time, "I'm so sorry I was such a…I think we got off to a… I really want to try again…I owe you an apology."_

_We both burst out laughing at the perfectly synchronized, unintelligible phrases, likely apologies, which we were both spouting. _

_She brushed a stray strand of hair from her eyes, shook her head in disbelief, and broke into a quirky smile. She shook her beach blanket back out onto the sand and motioned to it. "I think we need to have a good talk."_

I'm all yours.

**Chapter 9**

We stared at each other for the longest time before either of us could decide what to say.

"Sookie, what we've got here is a failure to communicate," I said, trying to inject a little humor by quoting the famous line from Cool Hand Luke. Besides, it seemed to fit the situation perfectly.

"What we have here is more than that," she said, looking up at me. I was expecting shy Sookie, but what I got was a little saucy and it made my blood rush to a dangerous place. "So let's just get that out of the way."

I took in a deep breath while I watched the progress of the blush that was creeping from her face to her chest.

"My hands burn when I touch you," she whispered.

"I spend an unhealthy amount of time thinking about how soft your lips are," I admitted quietly, so aware of how close I was standing to her and the fact that we were wearing almost nothing.

Her eyes widened. "Why were you so nice one minute, and then so cold the next?" She asked.

I sighed. "Gatorade?" I offered. "This is a long story."

She accepted an orange one from my backpack and settled herself cross-legged on the blanket.

I tried to peel my eyes from her to get on with it. I sank down beside her and took a deep breath. "OK, it started with me being nervous walking into the production studio that day. I was worried I would have trouble with all of the English dialogue, and that I wouldn't be able to keep the part. My run-in with you made me so much more nervous, I decided to 'wear' the Alex Skarsman character so they would see at all times I was a good fit. I resorted to acting because I was so unnerved by what happened." It felt good to get it all out.

"The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn't exist," she said.

Ahh, my girl was game, but still not convinced. I see your Verbal Kint and I raise you a Toon.

"I'm not bad; I'm just drawn that way," I replied with a wink.

"Only Eric Northgard could channel Jessica Rabbit and still be sexy," she giggled, shaking her head. "OK, I believe that you are not that guy, I've seen enough of the real you now to believe that. But why would you be so unnerved?"

"Because of what happened when you bumped into me," I said, motioning at my crotch.

"Oh god," she hung her head until she was turtled into the blanket and I heard a muffled voice. "Because I wouldn't let go of your belt."

"No," I said. _Was Sassa right?_ "No," I said again, daring to touch her hair and coax her to rise, "because of my _reaction_ to you not letting go of my belt…_and_ the smell of your hair, _and_ the feel of you pressed against me, and…" I trailed off with a grimace as she finally looked up at me in total surprise.

"You were…you had a…because of me?"

"You seriously didn't notice?" I asked.

"No!" she exclaimed.

"Way to go and give a guy a complex," I said jokingly.

"Well, I just walked in your footprints over there, so if the saying is true, you have nothing to worry about," she laughed and snorted a little.

It was adorable and drowned out my low growl at the idea of Sookie imagining the size of my cock. If the universe had finally stopped making a joke of my life, maybe she'd find out soon, hopefully very soon.

"So this," she said, motioning back and forth between us, "is mutual," she said, more of a statement than a question.

"Very," I replied.

"I'm sorry I was such a bitch to you in the kitchen, Eric. I realized about an hour afterwards that I probably had you all wrong and my heart just about broke in half."

"It's really alright. I handled everything wrong," I said.

"No. I did. I couldn't figure you out, but if I was feeling that strongly for even the possibility of you, I should have ended things with Bill right there. But we all work together. I felt like I was in an impossible situation."

"And now?" I asked, remembering the paparazzi shot, but not wanting to bring it up yet.

"Now, I'm going to start worrying more about what _I_ want and a little less about what other people think. Bill is in the British Virgin Islands with Lorena, 'summering' with his snooty parents and I was apparently not girlfriend enough to bring along."

I looked at her compassionately.

"Don't," she said, holding her palm out, and shaking her head, "it's fine. I was half the problem…as you know. We said we'd talk when he got home and figure out where to go from here, but where we're going is _nowhere_. We fell together way too fast. I didn't really know him, I guess. I thought we really had something but he's just so different on set, it's like he's…"

"Acting?" I suggested.

"Yes…" she replied, her expression thoughtful. "Unfortunately, I have a suspicion you hit the nail on the head. I just don't understand _why_ he would be doing it." And then she smacked me in the arm. "What is it with the guys around me acting?"

"Sorry," I grimaced. "It's just that you're so beautiful, I can't keep my head on straight," I half teased.

"I think we both have that problem, Eric," she said, letting out a long sigh. "As much as I hate to suggest this, can we just be friends…for now?"

_Friends?__ Fuck!_

She must have seen the hurt on my face, because she reached out to stroke my cheek, leaving a trail of heat behind. She chewed on her bottom lip, clearly working hard to formulate her next sentence.

"I feel too much. I'm overwhelmed. I just can't make another mistake by rushing in…not with you. Trust me? Let's do this right. Friends first?"

I nodded and stoked her cheek back. I wanted to kiss those lips so badly it hurt, but I needed to respect her wishes. She was right, after all.

"Well, friend, the sun is about to set. Would you like to watch it together?"

"I would, but it's getting chilly," she shivered, and the results were an eyeful.

We have the blanket. It'll be a little like snuggling, but if you trust me to keep my hands to myself…?" I trailed off.

She nodded once, biting her lip again. God, I wanted to grab it with my own and pull it out of its trap.

I scooted closer to her and reached down to pull the blanket around us, but I knocked over her beach bag. A book fell out, and my eyes were drawn to its cover.

SSSSSSSSSSSSS

My teeth were starting to chatter as I waited for Eric to wrap the blanket around us.

"So, I have a really important question to ask you," he said.

"Yes?" I replied. _I will marry you._

"Sea Pirate Passions?" he said, holding my book up and quirking an incredulous brow.

I went to snatch it and he lifted it up, just out of reach.

He scanned the cover. "Sookie," he said darkly.

I bit my lip.

"Sookie," he repeated, his voice taking on a dangerous edge. "This pirate looks an awful lot like someone we know." He held the book up next to his face and quirked his brow again. It was a look of pure sex.

I started to worry, because all I was wearing were the skimpiest of bikini bottoms and they wouldn't hold out for long under this kind of attack. But we had made an agreement and we needed to stick to it.

_Damn me and my bright ideas._

SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

Shorehaven. The number Bill had left was for a home named Shorehaven. Bill's family was so old, and so rich that their homes had names as if they were entities. I suppose to them, they were. Why then the disconnection from personal objects and the disdain for history? I really didn't get him. Maybe he just didn't want to build a history with me. Maybe he really was acting. Well, I sure as hell didn't want to build a history with him for one more minute. I picked up the phone to tell him it was over.

"Shorehaven," said an elderly British-accented voice.

"Can I please speak with Bill?" I asked, as politely as possible. Something about that voice demanded it.

"No, I'm afraid that Master William is not taking any calls today. He is on an excursion with Lorena and wishes not to be disturbed. May I ask who is calling?"

I didn't want to be seen to be calling him when he was off enjoying sightseeing in the Caribbean with Lorena. To maintain my dignity, I would rather he think I hadn't called at all.

"I'm calling from his cell phone provider. It seems that his phone has been compromised. There have been an extremely high number of calls placed to sex chat lines. I can't even get through to him right now because the line is busy connecting with one of those lines. His number must have been stolen. We suggest he cancel his phone immediately and change his number."

A gasp was all I heard before I chimed "Good day" and hung up. I'd be curious to see if he even let me know when the number changed. He could wait until he got home to get his ass dumped.

I put down my cell phone to see Eric hunched over and busting a gut into his crossed arms. When he finally looked up, wiping the tears of laughter from his eyes, I noticed for the first time that he was sandy and exhausted looking, which I must be too, having spent all night on the beach talking. Our stomachs had eventually led us to Denny's for some breakfast, and the waitress was giving us the evil eye because we now showed no sign of leaving.

Friends. It felt like the perfect place to start – again.

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><p><strong>AN: Don't shoot me! Can we all live with 'friends'…for now?**

**Thanks to Wikipedia and great-quotes-powerful-minds (dot) com/popular-movie-quotes (dot) html**

"What we've got here is a failure to communicate," LUKE (Paul Newman) in Cool Hand Luke (1967).

"The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn't exist. " VERBAL KINT (Kevin Spacey) in The Usual Suspects (1995)

"I'm not bad; I'm just drawn that way. " JESSICA RABBIT (Kathleen Turner) in Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988)


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N:**** I'm loving the sense of community with this fic. You girls are a riot! Thanks for all the smiles!**

**Welcome home IWishIHadARiver! Not only are you a pro with The Chicago Manual of Style, but your edits for flow and continuity are as good as it gets. Thank you for making my writing so much better! xo**

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><p><em>Previously…<em>

_I put down my cell phone to see Eric hunched over and busting a gut into his crossed arms. When he finally looked up, wiping the tears of laughter from his eyes, I noticed for the first time that he was sandy and exhausted looking, which I must be too, having spent all night on the beach talking. Our stomachs had eventually led us to Denny's for some breakfast, and the waitress was giving us the evil eye because we now showed no sign of leaving. _

_Friends. It felt like the perfect place to start – again. _

**Chapter 10**

"Stop it!" I squealed. "Stop it, you tree-sized jerk!" I hunched my shoulders up to my ears and scooted along the counter to get away from him.

Eric's eyes flared with mischief as he pounced on me and inserted his wet finger right into my ear – my other ear, the dry one.

"Eww!" I roared and pulled the dishtowel off of the oven door to dry out my ears. Then I projected every ounce of malice I could muster and strode towards him, spinning it into the perfect whip.

"Oh no, no, no, no!" he said, backing up before turning and darting into the living room. The only problem was, it was about the same size as him, so there was nowhere to hide.

"You make a big target, Viking," I taunted as I got in a good, solid crack to his perfect ass.

"I thought asses were out of bounds, Sookie," he growled as he stalked towards me using the patented Skarsman swagger.

_Oh shit._

"If I'd known asses were _not_ out of bounds, I would have grabbed yours long ago," he said, slowing down his advance, but still swaggering.

_OK Sookie, distract and redirect._

"What's with the walk, Viking? You look like John Wayne, or, wait…what was it? A _lion_ impersonating John Wayne?"

He showed mock hurt.

"How would you describe my character?" I asked. "A black widow impersonating Sandra Dee?"

"A black widow," he crooned. "I like it." He came one dangerous step closer. "Well, you're already _killing_ _me_, Sookie. When can we get on to the _eating me_ part?"

He pinned me against the wall with his hips and there was absolutely no missing that-which-corresponds-to-his-shoe size this time. He lowered his head and stoked his cheek against mine, breathing in deeply as my hair fell across his face.

I took a ragged breath and swallowed hard. "Eric," I pleaded, almost hoping he didn't hear me.

He lifted his face up slightly and bumped his forehead lightly against mine. "I know, Sookie. I understand, and it's alright. Completely. I'm not going anywhere, and you're right, we need to do this properly from the beginning." He hadn't moved, but was now sagging into me in more of a comfort hug than pressing into me with intent.

"We do. It's just that…this," I pushed him very gently back and motioned between us, "is volcanic. I'll lose myself in it. I want to know you first, I mean really know you. Not really knowing each other has caused us too many problems already. Not to mention the repercussions of diving in head first with Bill."

He kissed the tip of my nose lightly, and then smirked as he licked his index finger. "Are you sure you don't want to get to know Wet Willy any better? He's almost the same as his big brother. Does he bring your ear no pleasure at all?"

"See? This is the kind of stuff I need to know about you before we take things further."

"I'm fun loving!"

"Yes, you are. Whether I like it or not," I laughed.

Eric backed away, gave me a sexy wink and blew me a kiss before grabbing the popcorn in the kitchen. "Our usual position?" He asked.

"Get on me," I said.

Eric lay down and put his perfect feet in my lap as he started the movie. This beach house had become our little slice of heaven. We had only been working on the friend thing for a couple of weeks and we were already so comfortable together in a way that Bill and I had never been, even when I thought we were. The quality of our silence, the nature of this domesticity had a different tone. It held so much more affection. Mostly, I just loved how playful Eric was. We laughed often and it was genuine.

We had to leave for San Diego in the morning to take part in the panel and promotional events at Comic-Con. I'd need to swing by the old apartment I'd shared with Bill to pack my bags and then Eric and I planned to arrive together. Who cares, right? Bill wasn't scheduled to show and for all the world knew, Eric and I were friends. So what if he was going to sleep over at my beach house for the fourth time tonight. It was perfectly innocent. Seriously, it was. The guy could not make it though a whole film without falling asleep.

I lost track of the plot as I ran my thumbs up and down his arches. Why did guys always have baby skin on their feet while we women had to buff and moisturize hourly to keep from turning into reptiles? It wasn't fair. I ran my fingers up and down his soles. Such beautiful feet, just like his hands. They were very big feet, in proportion to him, of course, but that meant huge. He'd already hinted that the old adage was true. If that really were the case, I was a little scared. Scared and excited.

He jumped suddenly and I glanced at the TV screen to see if I'd missed a scary scene. I looked at him, puzzled.

"That tickles," he said.

My big Viking, my Norse God, Sweden's Sexiest Man Alive had ticklish feet. It made me love him even more. Yeah, I said it. Again.

And just like that, he was out cold. I wanted to keep watching the movie before heading to bed, but I'd missed too much contemplating his shoe size, so I tucked him in with the light blanket we kept handy and turned to go to my room, but not before I took one last loving look. His face was so innocent and peaceful when he slept, and his pale skin glowed in the moonlight.

I kissed his cheek and quickly slipped into bed before my resolve faltered.

SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

"I just want to catch a little vitamin D before we leave for the airport," he said as he made his way out the screen door. The chimes tinkled as he exited. I'd never liked them, but now they were a sound I associated only with him, with us.

I changed into my bikini and stepped out into the already hot sun. Eric was lying on our blanket with his arm slung across his eyes as I approached him.

"Sookie, can you help me with my lotion?" He asked.

"Sure," I squeaked. Applying Eric's suntan lotion was really getting under my skin. I think it was hard for both of us, but he had to show a lot of skin on the series and tans didn't cover well under make-up so we had to keep him pretty white.

I knelt down beside his chest and poured a good amount into my hand, but it was tanning oil, which was unusual. I didn't know they made oil with an SPF. I rubbed my palms together and took one of Eric's strong arms between my hands. I circled it and my fingers barely met as I smoothed up its length, taking a selfish moment to knead his bicep sneakily.

I poured some more oil onto my hands and began to work on his chest, rubbing it in circular motions and then travelling along his torso from his waistband to his collarbone, and across his broad shoulders. The planes and valleys of his body were like a sensory feast for my eyes and hands and I may have overdone it a little.

Eric let out a groan and I stopped. "Sorry," he said.

I was the one who was sorry. I had made the rules and here I was clearly taunting him while torturing myself. My body was chirping like a nest full of hungry baby birds. Loudly.

I made a few perfunctory passes to make sure I hadn't missed any spots and then deftly slung my left leg across him to get to his other side. On my way over, I was suddenly trapped by his arms as he stopped my progress and planted me firmly on top of him.

"Sookie," he growled.

I moaned.

"I think we know each other well enough, damn it. Please, yield to me." He raised his hips slightly to press himself against me. That shoe size thing…not a lie.

I moaned again.

Not waiting for any other answer, he slid his hands up my stomach and right under my bikini top to cup and squeeze my breasts.

"Fuck," he groaned.

One of his hands slipped around my back and pulled me to him. The skin of our bodies meeting made every cell light up until I felt like the Christmas tree at Rockefeller Centre. His mouth played with mine, tasting, biting, testing with kisses both achingly soft and rewardingly hard, while his hands made short work of my string bikini. It was just…gone.

He grabbed my hips roughly and electric sparks danced across my most intimate places as he slid his length back and forth, smirking at the wetness he found there.

I bit his shoulder in agony and tried to focus myself and savor every moment. Cardboard caught my eye and I puzzled at the shoebox lying beside him, as well as several packages of ballpark hotdogs. Weren't we leaving for San Diego soon?

He sat up, bringing me with him until I was straddling his lap and his foot-long breached my defenses like a hot knife through butter.

I cried out with the shock and pleasure of it and my eyes snapped open as hundreds of paparazzi flashbulbs snapped and popped and seared the inside of my brain.

"Can I have your autograph please?" said an elderly lady who looked a lot like Bess.

I rubbed my eyes and shook my head, trying to recover from the flash and when I opened them again everything was black. I screamed.

"Sookie!" said Eric as he came bounding into my bedroom. "Are you alright?"

I shrieked and covered myself up in horror. I was heaving and sweating and half naked. "Yes, uh, really intense dream."

"What was it about?" he asked, all concerned.

I tried to sound half asleep to get him to leave me to my shame. "Uh, it's kind of slipping away from me now. There was this thing, it was…really big. I couldn't believe it."

"It sounds terrible," he said concerned.

_Not __all of it!_

"Would you like me to stay with you?" he asked, the picture of innocence.

_God yes._

"I'm still pretty out of it. I think I should be able to drop right back off."

He turned to leave.

"Eric?"

He spun around and his hopeful look broke my heart.

"Thank you," I whispered.

"Always," he said, and it sounded like a promise.

SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

"What does Bill use these for? Boy's night in West Hollywood?" Eric asked, holding up my tiniest cutoff jean shorts.

"Those are mine, you jerk," I laughed.

I had just finished packing my bag and we were ready to go to the lobby to get our taxi to LAX. We had driven my car to the apartment and parked it in the garage. Eric had wisely thought to bring his bags to the beach house last night, so we just left his car there. It would make the house look occupied and would also conveniently mean he'd have to go back there with me. Oops.

As we entered the lobby, Luke's face brightened and then took on a strange expression.

"Beautiful day, Sookie, and hello, Eric," he said. "So nice to see you again."

"Yes," said Eric, appearing slightly uncomfortable.

"So, you haven't come by in a couple of weeks. Were you still interested in a unit here?"

"Not any longer, Luke. It would appear that my stalking has been successful," he said, wrapping his arm around my shoulders and giving Luke a wink.

"Eric!" I chided, punching him in the shoulder.

"We're friends, Luke," I said.

"For now," Eric mouthed very exaggeratedly at Luke, who didn't know whether to laugh or call the police.

I squinted my eyes at Eric in warning and looked at Luke squarely. "Bill and I have broken up. Or we will, as soon as I can talk to him. I know it sounds terrible and that this looks bad, but believe me, it's not."

"Hey, no problem from me," said Luke. "I always wondered why that Lorena woman kept showing up for him. Now _there's_ a successful stalker."

Hmm.

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><p><strong>AN:**** Love me? Hate me? Is something better than nothing? Is he shaping up to be the tingles-inducing adorkable Eric you'd hoped for? Don't hate on Sookie, she's doing the right thing, you know she is. **


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: ****I really love you all, you know that? You make this so much fun to write. Thank you for enjoying it with me.**

**And thank you IWishIHadARiver. You're such a talented editor. I am always amazed at the way you look at a chapter and evaluate the words on the page. There's a clarity of thinking there that just blows me away. xo**

**Disclaimer: I do not own these characters, nor am I implying that any of this fic is true. **

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><p><em>Previously…<em>

_"We're friends, Luke," I said._

_"For now," Eric mouthed very exaggeratedly at Luke, who didn't know whether to laugh or call the police._

_I squinted my eyes at Eric in warning and looked at Luke squarely. "Bill and I have broken up. Or we will, as soon as I can talk to him. I know it sounds terrible and that this looks bad, but believe me, it's not."_

_"Hey, no problem from me," said Luke. "I always wondered why that Lorena woman kept showing up for him. Now __there's__ a successful stalker."_

Hmm.

**Chapter 11**

The glaring mid-day sun was eclipsed as we entered the cool, dark, damp of the aquarium tunnel. It was a pleasant change. I blinked as my eyes adjusted, seeking out the glow of the massive tank of sea-life ahead. I was reveling in the feeling of Sookie's warm, soft body pressed against my side as my arm across her shoulder held her close, and I wondered if this might be a magical place to steal my first kiss. That was, until I heard a voice that brought me up short.

I turned to face my girl. "Hey, Sookie," I said in a low voice, as if being discreet, "did you know that this exhibit is famous for making girls have to go pee? It's the sound of the running water that does it. Do you think now would be a good time to visit the ladies room? We just passed it over there," I said, pointing back out of the tunnel.

"Great idea," she said. "Be right back."

I inched farther into the dim tunnel and stood against the wall out of sight.

"Lorena, I must insist. I need to get back to the hotel and speak to Allen to find out where Sookie is staying so I can see her, or at least call her," said Bill's unmistakable voice.

"Bill, you don't even really care for her. Hell, what _we_ have is more. Can't we just enjoy the day here together for once without you bringing her up? My parents never brought me to Sea World."

"Believe it or not, Lorena, I am not solely responsible for your entertainment, and I _do_ care for Sookie. What she and I have _is_ something, or it was. I need to rekindle it, as you well know."

"Yeah, yeah, 'Allen expects it,' you're like a broken record Bill."

_What the fuck?_

"I'm trapped in this situation because of you. Don't forget that," he said.

"Because I got you the role – a lead role in a major American series? Well sue me," said Lorena angrily.

"A role that I am paying for with my freedom, Lorena. Thank god Sookie is at least a decent and beautiful woman. I should make the most of it," he replied.

_Oh how romantic._

Just then, Sookie came up beside me and hip checked me to let me know she was there. The way her eyes widened suddenly told me that she heard his voice too, but she'd missed some of the critical points. She looked at me with a furrowed brow and I half led her, half walked at her side into the aquarium tunnel, my hand protectively on the small of her back.

Sookie, smart woman that she is, just stood there and let the bastard hang himself.

"Sookie, I…how can I? I'm sorry I have not called. You see, my cell phone was compromised while I was on the Island and being where we were, there were no other…" he trailed off miserably.

She raised her eyebrows and still said nothing.

"Oh the BVI is just amazing," gushed Lorena. "Bill and I have been having such a wonderful time. It's really too bad you couldn't come, Sookie. Poor William, I have had to keep him occupied. I see you have kept yourself occupied as well. Hello Eric," she said slyly.

"Shut it, Lorena," said Sookie. "I want to hear from Bill. Spit it out, Buster. Now!"

Without knowing how much Sookie had missed, Bill let it all spill out. "It's true," he said, hanging his head. "I got the role because of Lorena, but in return Allen demanded that I woo you because he thought a real life romance between the leads would be the kind of tabloid fodder that would put the show in the headlines. He said I could only keep the role if I managed to do it. I didn't think it would actually work. But I genuinely have fee – "

"Oh, I'm so easy, is that it?" she choked out, interrupting him.

"Clearly, you are," sneered Lorena. "You've already moved onto Thor here and you and Bill haven't even broken up yet. In fact, you were lip locking with him half way through the season," said Lorena.

Bill spun on me, enraged, and I braced myself for a fight. My fist would be very happy to connect with this man who could agree to such an unconscionable arrangement and treat this special woman as nothing better than a possession he had to procure. I locked eyes with him and took a step forward.

He immediately backed off, redirecting his anger. "Is this true, Sookie?" he hissed at her.

"Yes and no. I mean yes, we kissed, but no, there was nothing going on. I was an assignment? A contractual obligation? Bill, how could you?" She spat out, disgusted and hurt.

"I let you live in my home, and all the while you were carrying on with –"

"You _let _me? I thought it was _our_ home, Bill. Or wait, is that just in real relationships?"

"Oh, touché," said the bitch.

"Shut up, Lorena," said Bill and Sookie in unison.

"Bill, it's over. I've already mostly cleared out of your frigid white palace, but I'll be sure to get the rest of my things out the second we get home. And as for your role, well, I suppose you'll have to act your face off or risk losing it. Let's see if you're good enough."

"Not so fast, Cookie," said Lorena, smirking at her own joke. "Are you really willing to risk this series? If Bill goes, we might all go."

"I don't think so. If you've read the books, Eric's character becomes much more important than Bill's. I think they could recast him without much fuss. Eric is going to be the new hot commodity on the show. It's inevitable." Sookie turned as if to go, and then as a brilliantly calculated afterthought, added, "Oh, and Lorena, in Season Three, I'll get to drive a stake through your heart."

Bill looked stricken. Lorena looked sick. Did no one read the books?

"So, we'll be going then," quipped Sookie. "I plan to tell Allen that I know all about this and that I won't play ball."

Bill's hands were balled at his sides. He opened and closed his mouth but nothing came out.

Lorena looked at him and her features suddenly rewrote themselves. She moved to stand beside him and sought out his hand, but when she didn't receive it, wrapped her fingers around his clenched fist.

"Stop!" she ordered. "I had hoped to keep this in my back pocket, but it seems I need it sooner than expected. Sookie, you'll be doing nothing of the sort, or 'bye bye new guy.' _Eric Fucking Northgard_ here will be out on his ass."

"What the hell are you talking about Lorena?" said Sookie in exasperation.

"Well, it seems that Mr. Northgard here has a little, or shall I say _big_ Peeping Tom problem."

I could feel myself turning grey as the blood died in my veins.

Sookie just raised her eyebrows and looked from Lorena to me, and back again.

"Yes, that's right. After you two sucked face in the cemetery, Thor here was getting a handful while ogling your sex scene with Bill. I caught him, hand in his pants and I have photographic evidence."

_Shit__._

The flash between us had been a camera flash, not a flashlight. It wouldn't matter what the truth was now.

_Shit, fuck, motherfuck!_

"I call bullshit," said Sookie. "I want proof."

Lorena held up her phone with a very clear picture of me, hand in my pants, the outline of a very hard, very obvious, very embarrassing boner practically leaping off the screen.

Bill's previously victorious expression turned sour.

Sookie raised her eyebrows in amazement. It made me feel slightly good for a moment, but she came to her senses quickly.

"Eric?" she asked, her voice smaller than I'd ever heard.

"It's not how it looks. What is this, the fucking _theme_ for this job?" I said, looking up to the universe. "Nothing has been how it looked from the very beginning – for any of us. Someone somewhere is laughing."

"Maybe," interrupted Sookie, "but not me. Eric?" she asked again.

"I was not jerking off. I swear on my grandmother. I was watching you, yes, because we had just shared the most amazing kiss of my life and it was killing me to see you go to him. But I was…I was imagining…how much more gently I would touch you, how desperate I would feel as I was reunited with you. The scene was brutal. I couldn't act like that with you if I tried. My thoughts ran away from me and they…affected me, clearly," I said, pointing to the phone. "But I swear I was only adjusting the evidence of my emotions before I walked out of the cemetery. I couldn't watch you a moment longer. That's when she showed up," I said, jutting my finger at Lorena.

"I believe you," said Sookie. "But it doesn't matter. That picture could ruin you. We can't take that chance, and I have a feeling that Lorena is even crazier than she seems."

"So!" said Lorena in a chipper voice, obviously choosing to ignore the insult.  
>"What we're going to do here, is this: Eric, you are going to take your extra-tall self back to your hotel and stay there. Call in sick, I don't care, but you are not showing up for the panel. And Sookie, you are going to pretend to be with my William. And I hope you'll do a good job and not embarrass him. When the convention is over, we're going to finish our summer at Shorehaven. When we return, I expect a happy girlfriend to be waiting for him," she said, putting air quotes around 'girlfriend.'<p>

"He will never have me as a happy girlfriend," I said.

"And you could never make him happy, so do us all a favor and act your aerobicized ass off, OK Cookie?"

SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

"Shhh," I said as I stroked her hair while she sobbed into my shoulder. I really hated crying, I didn't have a clue what to do about it. "Please, please don't cry," I tried.

She sobbed harder.

_Shit! Not working!_

If I was going to have a real girlfriend, I really needed to know how to deal with this kind of thing, because Sassa told me that girls cry a lot. I'd never seen Sassa cry, so that was news to me.

"How can I help, Sookie? I don't know what to do."

"Just…hold me," she said.

Really? But that was so easy. I could do that all day.

"I'll stay here and catch up on my TV and you go to the convention and act this perfect posterior of yours off, just like Lorena said," I said in a light tone, patting her lightly on her luscious ass. And I'll be here when you get home."

"Home?" she teased.

"Is wherever we make it, my future lover," I said, brushing some wet strands of hair away from her cheeks.

"Future lover huh?" she said, biting her bottom lip.

It was a quirk of hers that I'd come to love, and I couldn't wait to have my way with it.

"I think we should, I think I'm ready to…you know," she said, blush creeping across her face and neck in an adorable way.

My blood started to hurry to the job, but I quickly gained control of it.

"Sookie," I whispered, squeezing my eyes shut for a moment. I couldn't believe what I was about to say, and I'm sure _Eric Fucking Northgard_ would not have approved. "Not like this. Not in anger, or sadness. Not because of Bill and Lorena. You know how much I want you to meet Wet Willy's brother," I teased lightly, "but I want it to be right. Either because we've planned it and it's special and everything we want it to be, or because we're overwhelmed by a moment and it feels perfectly right. If we've waited this long, we can wait longer, for the right moment that's just about us."

And just like that she started crying again.

_Fuck! _

I had a lot to learn about women.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Oh boy, am I gonna get it. *****Throws her dukes up in front of her face in a defensive stance***** OK, I'm ready. Hit me with it ladies.**

**Big thanks and hugs to ReannaCullen who gave me the awesome Comic-con idea when I was feeling stumped. You're the best, Rea! **


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: Thank you all so much for reading, reviewing, favoriting and alerting this story. You make this all feel so rewarding.**

**Thank you as always, IWishIHadARiver. Your help and encouragement means more than I can say. You are my favorite and most talented sister!**

* * *

><p><em>Previously…<em>

"_Sookie," I whispered, squeezing my eyes shut for a moment. I couldn't believe what I was about to say, and I'm sure Eric Fucking Northgard would not have approved. "Not like this. Not in anger, or sadness. Not because of Bill and Lorena. You know how much I want you to meet Wet Willy's brother," I teased lightly, "but I want it to be right. Either because we've planned it and it's special and everything we want it to be, or because we're overwhelmed by a moment and it feels perfectly right. If we've waited this long, we can wait longer, for the right moment that's just about us."_

_And just like that she started crying again._

Fuck!

_I had a lot to learn about women._

**Chapter 12**

"Sookie! Bill! Look over here! Let's get a big kiss," the photographer called out.

Bill flashed a mischievous grin at the camera, gripped my waist and pulled me into him before bringing his face in close. He angled his lips over mine with a look full of heated intent, as if he could burn Eric out of my heart.

_No fucking way._

I put my hand on his chest to hold him off and gave the cameraman a sly look. "Sorry! No free kisses. You'll just have to watch next season."

"Ohhh! She's playing hard to get!" the cameraman laughed. "C'mon, Bill, soften her up," he taunted, trying to get his perfect shot.

Bill ran his hand up my back, pulling me into him more sharply.

I brushed my cheek up against his, and felt his breath hitch and his body mold against mine as I put my lips to his ear. "Don't you dare, or I swear to god, it doesn't matter what kind of picture Lorena has. You will lose your balls," I whispered.

Bill changed tactics and swooped me down in a playful-looking dip instead, and then turned slyly to the camera and hovered his open mouth over my neck as if about to bite me.

"Great shot!" the cameraman yelled as the bulbs flashed.

"That's all folks," I said, smiling as I turned and started to walk away.

Bill caught up with me quickly and hissed, "They were there, ready to take more pictures of us. How can you let us miss that opportunity?"

"I wouldn't want you to get overexposed, Bill. People might get as sick of your pasty face as I am. And lose that brooding, pursed lips thing you do. It's not sexy," I said, continuing on my way.

Bill grabbed my arm and pulled me to a stop and then quickly looked around to make sure no one had seen him.

I placed my hands on my hips and couldn't have hidden my glare if Annie Leibovitz had shown up with a camera.

"Why _Eric_, Sookie? The guy couldn't smile if he tried, and he never spoke to us on set. How the hell did it even happen? What does he have that I don't have?"

"Integrity," I said.

"Integrity and a porn star cock," said Bill.

"I wouldn't know," I said.

Bill narrowed his eyes.

"Nothing of the kind has happened between us, if you must know. For now, Eric and I are good friends, and that alone is a hell of a lot more than I ever had with you."

Bill looked like he'd been stung and I would have loved to have gone on, but I had more class than that.

I hated the sight of him. The hands that I used to want to have touch me now made my skin crawl. But I needed to harness that energy and put it to good use. I didn't know how I was going to get Eric and myself out of this situation, but I was going to do it.

"I don't want you to be seen flying home with him," said Bill.

"You don't get to decide that," I said.

"Lorena's photograph decides it," said Bill.

_The son__ of a bitch._

"Fine. No flying home together. But that means that you and Lorena can't be seen flying back to the bloody BVI together either, or it will make people ask me questions that I might want to answer."

"But Sookie, The British Virgin Islands are in the Caribbean, and we're on the Pacific Ocean at present. That's just not possible," he said, exasperated. "We _must _fly."

"I don't give a rat's ass, Bill. You didn't object to this little plot of Lorena's, so if you don't want Eric and me flying together, then you can't either. What's good for the goose is good for the gander," I snapped.

Bill took a deep breath and conceded. "We can drive across to the Gulf of Mexico and return to the Island by boat. I will contact my father's skipper and have him pick us up in the yacht the day after tomorrow. Discreetly."

"Yes, try putting a bag over her head," I mumbled to myself as I spun on my heel to leave.

_It might improve the view. _

I strode confidently out of the convention centre and took a waiting VIP limo back to our hotel.

I was not going to play ball. Not to the extent they expected. After all, they wanted to keep their roles too, so they wouldn't want the jig to be up too easily. As long as I maintained the overall illusion of being Bill's, I didn't think they would expose Eric over something minor like being seen traveling back to L.A. from an event at the same time. I was not going to change our flights. But at least I had caused Bill and Lorena some pretty major inconvenience. No one wants to drive across Texas in July. And that was going to be one long boat ride.

I let myself into my suite, kicked off my shoes and opened the door in the wall that led to Eric's adjoining rooms.

He was just where he said he'd be, watching TV on the couch, predictably, asleep. I stood in front of him and watched as my Norse God who currently looked more like an angel took shallow breaths in and out. This man had hurt me, but never on purpose. Both men hadn't told me the whole truth about themselves and had pretended to be something they weren't so that they could try to keep their jobs, but Eric had never taken advantage of me. Eric's feelings had been genuine. He had never lied about them. In fact, he had done quite the opposite – he had tried to talk to me, I just hadn't wanted to listen.

I lay down beside him and tucked my head into the crook of his shoulder, our faces almost touching.

I woke up to Eric watching me intently, gently feeling my hair between his fingers.

"I trust you, and I know you wouldn't do anything with Bill, but your cheek and your hair smells of his cologne. I find it's really bringing out my inner caveman. When you smell like that, I just want to rub myself all over you and replace his scent with my own.

I giggled. "OK," I said, throwing caution to the wind.

"If you say so," he said. "Ready? Here I go…prepare to be Ericized. It's like being simonized, just way better."

"Way better huh?" I said, my voice sounding a little hoarse.

"Well of course, but not _that _much better, he said with a waggle. Our first time isn't going to be on a hotel couch on the same day you've had to publicly cling to Bill."

"I wholeheartedly agree," I said, and shuddered.

"Ready?" he asked.

"Mm hmm," I squeaked.

Eric leaned over me and grazed my lips, and then he brought his cheek to mine and brushed gently, his scruff just long enough to be this edge of soft. He buried his face in my hair until I thought he would never leave it, and then pulled back just a little to flutter his lips against my ear. His hot breath sent shivers down my spine, launching a cascade of goose bumps across my skin.

I moaned slightly. "Oh, sorry," I whispered.

"No, it's wonderful," he murmured.

He slid his lips down across my jaw and nuzzled my neck, rubbing his scruff along my collarbones and placing an almost kiss there.

I sucked in my breath as a pang of excitement started an ache between my legs that was not going to be easy to ignore.

He laid his cheek on my chest. "I can feel your heart beat," he said.

"It's racing," I admitted.

"I know," he growled, his head still pressed against my chest and his hand splayed against my hip, his thumb rubbing small circles around the point of my hipbone.

"So…is this really how cavemen acted? Because I would have expected to be thrown over your shoulder and…"

Eric sat up abruptly, and he exhaled hard. His eyes were a little wild, and he rubbed his hand over them and then ran it through his hair.

I sat up, worried that I'd said something wrong, but then I noticed the giant redwood that had grown inside his jeans.

"Oh," I said, a little shocked. The picture did not do it justice. I pulled my bottom lip in between my teeth and tested placing my hand on his thigh as if I were about to touch a hot stove. I looked from my hand up to his eyes, but they had become unreadable.

"We're adults, Eric, I think we can handle it." I wanted to handle it. I wanted to be handled. I wanted all this handling to happen _right now_.

He slowly shook his head and my heart sank a little. "Believe me, Sookie. I want nothing more than to rip our clothes off and lick you and bite you and rub my naked body all over you. But you're not just any woman. You're a rare flower that I want to tend to carefully. And it will be worth it, and we'll never regret a thing. What is San Diego to us? Nothing – nothing but bad memories and the start of another very difficult situation. Let's not taint a special memory with bad ones."

"The beach house," I whispered, bringing my hand up to his cheek.

He leaned into my palm. "The beach house."

SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

As soon as our luggage was unloaded and the cab had driven away, Eric's eyes filled with a fire I had never seen. They burned into me as he drew my body against his and effortlessly hitched me up onto him.

Heat shot through me as I wrapped my legs around his waist, erasing any space between us.

He groaned appreciatively as he backed me into the door and unlocked it with one hand.

The door swung open behind me and in a single motion, Eric had us over the threshold, dropped to his knees and lay us onto the rug in front of the door as if we were two acrobats tumbling together. His lips sought out my neck as his hands worked at tearing open my buttoned shirt when a voice made us both jump out of our skins.

"Hey Sook…and big blonde hot guy."

_Amelia!_

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Well I'm still here typing, so no one killed me after the last chapter. Let's see if I make it through another. Don't fret, they'll get a chance to be naked acrobats again before too long. I'm not that cruel. Do I get any points for Eric's scruff-action?**


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: Your much****-anticipated lemons are coming up soon! Not today, but certainly by the weekend, given a bit of free time on my end and IWishIHadARiver's schedule. But that's my goal! Thank you for all of your encouragement/yelling. : ) I love my Eric-crazy fanfic friends. **

**Props to IWishIHadARiver for 2 edits in one day. Thank you for your eagle eye, but you must have missed some of this gorgeous weather, so thank you even more.**

* * *

><p><em>Previously…<em>

_The door swung open behind me and in a single motion, Eric had us over the threshold, dropped to his knees and lay us onto the rug in front of the door as if we were two acrobats tumbling together. His lips sought out my neck as his hands worked at tearing open my buttoned shirt when a voice made us both jump out of our skins._

_"Hey Sook…and big blonde hot guy."_

Amelia!

**Chapter 13**

We were respectably seated on the couch enjoying a sweet tea with my friend who I had forgotten all about inviting. To ensure that the microfiber didn't combust, we had wisely ensured a four-inch buffer between our thighs…a demilitarized zone of sorts. No boners allowed within striking distance of me, Republic of Sookie. However, his was clearly a long-range missile. I scooted over another couple of inches.

Eric threw me a puzzled look.

Amelia took no notice. Oblivious or unabashed, it didn't really matter. She was always one who did and said whatever she thought. "Here, this arrived for you by courier this morning," she said, handing me a manila envelope. "What's with your agent? No more house calls?"

"Oh, she's away. I told her she could send me my correspondence at the beach house. No one else knows I'm here."

It was from Allen. I looked at Eric and ripped it open, quickly thumbing through the contents. "You have got to be shitting me!" I yelled.

"What?" they both asked in unison.

"I have to leave for Shreveport tonight. Tonight! Allen has bumped up the production schedule and I have fittings and table reads and rehearsals. The agreements for our location shoots came through while we were at Comic-Con, but the timelines are short, so we need to film some key scenes right away."

I rifled through the envelope and pulled out the first two scripts. "Eric, your scenes are on the Fangtasies set. You'll be staying in L.A." I said, crushed. I flipped farther into the script. "Oh god!" I gasped and slapped my hand over my mouth.

"What?" said Eric and Amelia in unison - again.

I covered my face with my hands. "I have to film a sex scene with Bill."

"Can I see?" Eric asked. He paged through the script and read it over, and then wrapped his arm around me, drawing me into his side. He took a deep breath and kept scanning through the script until he came upon his lines. "Well. At least I get to rip someone limb from limb. That won't be hard to act."

Somehow I had ended up in his lap. How had that even happened? He had, or I had, _we_ had disregarded the neutral zone in full view of civilian observers. The contact with his body was soothing though. It was as if I was enclosed in an Eric envelope. I reached out and ran my hand through the back of his short hair. I loved it this way. He answered my gesture with a loving look.

"Blech, get a room you two!" laughed Amelia.

_We're trying!_

"Sookie, you need to pack if you're going to leave for Shreveport in the morning," said a resigned Eric. "And I need to go home to see what my instructions are. For all we know I might need to be at the Production studios tomorrow for fittings and reads too."

"You're right, Eric. Amelia can help me pack at Bill's."

"I should go get my cell phone out of my bag and turn it on. I'm sure my agent has left his tenth message by now."

I walked him to the door, and he gave me an exasperated 'we can't win' smile before letting out a deep sigh and letting his forehead plunk on my shoulder.

"So much for finding a little alone time," I whispered.

"The first chance we get, my future lover," he whispered back.

"What are you two whispering about over there?" Amelia teased.

Eric rolled his eyes and placed a chaste peck on my lips.

_A kiss!_

A peck had never felt so good. But I needed more. I pulled him outside and wrapped myself around him.

"More," I whimpered against his chest.

"Sookie," he rasped, "I can't." He brought his hands up my sides and gently pried me off of him, but didn't let go. "As it is I'm going to have to go home and ice my balls for a week."

"Well…" I said, trying to be saucy but blushing instead, "don't ice them too much. I like things the size they are."

Eric's eyes flared and he quirked his eyebrow in a very sexy way.

"I can't believe I will get naked with Bill before you," I whined, pressing my nose into his warm shirt and inhaling as if I could keep part of him with me in my lungs.

He let out a husky chuckle. "Don't worry, Sookie. The next time I see you, I don't care if it's in a fucking broom closet, I'll erase his scent from every inch of your luscious body and it won't be with my cheek," he said. His thumbs grazed my breasts as he ran his hands down my sides to my hips, and when he got there grabbed my ass for good measure, pulling me against his poor erection.

I sucked in my breath as my body started to tingle and arched my back to increase the pressure. I couldn't help it.

_Hello caveman __Eric. _

He squeezed me tightly for a moment but then put his hands up and backed away slowly. "I know all about you Black Widow. I'm not going to make any sudden movements, and I'm going to keep my eyes on you and increase my distance to increase my chances of survival. As long as you don't advance on me, I think I'll be OK," he laughed. "Now get packing before you miss your flight!"

SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

"…and you were a fucking contractual obligation?" I cannot wait for my Dad to hear about this. We haven't seen eye-to-eye for years, so we haven't really spoken since you and I were at school, but this would be totally worth breaking the silence over."

My heart skipped a beat. It was one thing to talk to my friend about this incredibly fucked-up situation, but I was a serious actress and I wondered what her media mogul father would think of it. Copley Carmichael was all business.

"Are you sure he won't think I'm a flake for falling into this ruse so easily?" I asked. Female actors worked hard in Hollywood to avoid any aura of the casting couch. Once you got it – deserved or not – it stuck like hair gel…yeah, that kind.

"Oh, god, no. He'll believe every word, and I'll tell you why. Lorena is certifiable. Whenever we spent the summers with our grandmother, her pets would turn up dead. Not just dead, like, 'oh poor Fluffy, she must have fallen asleep on the road'…they were fucking _exsanguinated._ And her mother is nothing short of a con artist. There's a reason why my Uncle Carter was written out of the will. Gamma Carmichael could see a gold digger a mile away and Yvetta's picture would be in the dictionary under the word. They are in cahoots. No doubt. But what's Allen's role in all of this..." she trailed off, and I could see the wheels turning.

_Exsanguinated?_ There was a big difference between scooters and dangerous. I felt a moment's worry for Bill before I came to my senses and reminded myself that he had known her since childhood and was still alive to be manipulated. I let my shoulders sink down and Amelia gripped me into a hug.

"Don't worry, Sook, leave it to me. That whole family is crackers, but they're no match for me. I can be a real witch when I wanna be," she cracked herself up.

_Ha ha, Wiccan humor. I loved my Ames._

"Now," she continued as she sobered up, "do you have one more bag? Because there are only a few things left to pack up. The ones on the right are your airport bags, the others I'll take back to the beach house for you."

I was clearing out. No matter what I had to pretend with Bill, there was no way in hell I was actually going to live with him. I quickly made my way through the large white apartment for anything of mine.

_Bill was right about one thing. Right now the lack of sentimentality and personal possessions is making it easy to pick up and leave this godforsaken place. _

When Amelia had her trunk packed with my bags, and my own car was ready, she turned to me.

"So, I think I got the whole story, but I have an important question."

"Yes?" I asked, worried.

"Are you serious that you have not gone for a ride on that giant's bean stalk?" she said, incredulous. "What exactly are you waiting for?"

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><p><strong>AN: So, we know that your least favorite thing about this chapter is the lack of lemons, but what did you like best? (so I can do more of it!)**


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: Thank you to IWishIHadARiver who edited two chapters in one day while sick at home. You're the best! And she caught a big continuity error in my name mashups, for which I am so grateful. So, Sookie works at **_**Sam's**_**…the two last names just refused to mash and look anything like a real name. **

**I love you all, you know I do.**

**Sadly, these characters are not mine, and sadly, this is a work of fiction ; )**

* * *

><p><em>Previously…<em>

_When Amelia had her trunk packed with my bags, and my own car was ready, she turned to me._

"_So, I think I got the whole story, but I have an important question."_

"_Yes?" I asked, worried._

"_Are you serious that you have not gone for a ride on that giant's bean stalk?" she said, incredulous. "What exactly are you waiting for?"_

**Chapter 14**

There are downsides to fame. Being blackmailed into feigning a relationship with someone who was feigning a relationship with _you_, while simultaneously trying to hide a relationship with someone who you are not yet really in a relationship with…sucks. Oh, and someone had tipped off the press to camp out at the apartment that we had shared in Shreveport making it impossible for me to stay anywhere else without tripping the Lorena switch.

I would have claimed the master bedroom but the last thing I wanted to do was sleep in that bed again. Despite our challenges I had genuinely loved Bill, and mixed in with all of my disillusionment, anger and humiliation was hurt. The fact that I loved Eric more did nothing to erase that. My heart needed to heal and it wasn't going to do it sleeping in that bed.

I moved into the spare room and thanked my lucky starts that it had its own bathroom. I decided to treat Bill like a bad roommate with hygiene issues, and went about my business as if he were not there. After a first attempt to talk to me, which was spectacularly unsuccessful, he mostly made himself scarce. Wise man.

It was when we were forced to deal with each other that shit hit the fan. The table read was terrible. The anger between Bill and I was so palpable it had its own seat at the table. And to make matters worse, Allen just kept congratulating us for the awesome acting job, exclaiming to anyone who would listen that the intensity of the animosity from our characters was going to make the sex scene at the end of the episode '_so_ hot'.

"But, we're closing the set," he said in mock apology to everyone else. "Too bad the camera crew and I are the only ones who will get to see it." He waggled his eyebrows. "Think I'll bring some popcorn."

_Gross. _

The one saving grace was that I didn't really have that many scenes with Bill in this episode. It meant that we didn't spend that much time together and arrived home at different hours. Many of my shoots were at night, while his indoor scenes were shot during the day.

Tonight we were filming a particularly gruesome ensemble scene that required a dummy with a gaping maw in its chest. While the crew goofed around by putting unexpected objects in the hole, I sat on a car in the dark, dusty parking lot hugging my thin hoodie to my body. The chill I was feeling had to do with more than the weather. I couldn't believe I had to film a sex scene with Bill the next morning. I felt sick.

I missed Eric. I needed him, but he was more than half way across the country ripping apart an extra.

"You OK, Cher?" asked Sam. He couldn't be more like his character if he tried – loyal and true to the end.

"I will be," I answered, leaning into a hug. Funny, but the cast seemed to feel that something was up, even if Allen was oblivious. Tara and Jason found ways to give me unscripted hugs that Allen predictably labeled genius and left in. So with takes, that meant a lot of hugs, and boy did I need them.

When I finally got home, I didn't sleep a wink. Eric and I talked until dawn and when I got off the phone, I wasn't even sure what we had talked about and it didn't matter. He was there for me.

I arrived at the location we used for Stephen's ancestral home to find Allen and the crew already preparing to close the set for nudity. I headed to the make-up trailer and thanked the artist as she handed me the patch for my girly bits. At least I had that measure of modesty. I looked at my puffy eyes in the mirror and reasoned that at least they made my crying look more realistic.

When I finally stepped onto the set in my Sam's uniform, Bill was already there. I took my place on my marker and heard him taking steady deep breaths, as if to control himself. I glanced over at him and was unnerved to see that his eyes were like black coals. This was not going to be fun.

"OK kids, cameras rolling in 5, 4, 3, 2 and…" Allen made the finger symbol for '1'.

I made my pathetic speech, "I always thought, as different as we are, that somehow we could still be together," …yada yada yada.

But then, instead of saying his lines in return, Bill burned with silence. It would have been brilliant acting if it was acting, but I could tell he was going through something very real.

Rather than compassion, or fear, or guilt, or a revival of affection, it sparked in me nothing more than disdain – disdain and more anger. How _dare_ he? Even when he supposedly 'had' me, he didn't value me. And now he was brokenhearted?

Bill found his voice. "I will not and I cannot lose you. For all the ways I have dismayed, aggrieved, or failed you...I swear I will atone. But I am not sorry. I refuse to apologize for what you have awakened in me. You...you are my miracle, Anna. For the first time in 140 years, I felt something I thought had been lost to me forever. I love you. And for that I shall NEVER feel sorry."

He meant every word of it.

I at least knew him well enough to know that. If he had shown half of this desire while we were together, we might not be in this situation…although I'd never wish for it. It dawned on me that hate was too strong and passionate an emotion to devote to Bill. He had been a letdown, one of epic proportions, but a letdown nonetheless. Eric was his polar opposite. Feeling that dichotomy would get me through this.

I took my cue and said my line, or my own version of it anyway!

"God damn you Stephen Moyen," I said.

"Cut!" yelled Allen. "That's not your line kiddo. It's "God damn you Stephen Moyen, _I love you_. OK, ready to roll in 5, 4, 3, 2…."

"God _damn_ you Stephen Moyen," I said, this time with more emphasis.

I meant every word of it.

"Cut!" Sookie, kid, what's up? You're usually so good with your lines."

"Sorry, Allen, just a little distracted you know, vampire professing his love and all. This is gripping stuff. Great writing by the way."

"Hey thanks, I know. OK, so the line is "God damn you Stephen Moyen, _I love you_," and then you get to have sex with your real-life boyfriend here, so get it right so you can get on to doing the nasty!"

I gave him his precious line, but somewhere in all of the tension and my efforts to enjoy a little bit of a dig, the hurt of the words seeped in, and with it some real tears came. It was an ugly cry – the kind that makes your lips turn up at the corners – and too real for TV, but Allen went with it. I think he was tired of trying to get it right so he called it a wrap and cleared the set of all non-essential personnel for the next scene.

Bill watched me closely as I wiped my eyes and the make-up artist touched me up.

"Alright, so Sookie, just put the hoodie back on and we'll film the first kiss and then you can take it off again and we'll shoot the second kiss that will be cut in after Bill's awesome speech and then with you both all randy and in the mood we'll move on to the naked sports. Ready?"

I nodded.

_Let's just get this over with._

I closed my eyes so I wouldn't have to subject myself to Bill's expression and I threw my brain into a comparison of this man who had deceived me vs. the man who had done everything to win me.

He brought his lips to mine. They were not as soft. They were not the enticing blend of tentative and urgent from my dreams. They were not the enthusiastic lips of my secret cemetery kiss. They were not the gentle, searching, teasing lips of _Eric the Great_, or the promised lips of my caveman. They were not the lips of the man I loved.

Bill, however, was not in the mood for clinical evaluation. This was not a neutral exercise for him. Spurred on the traitorous tears he had witnessed, his tongue kept trying to reach mine, but I sealed my mouth shut and broke off the kiss at the earliest opportunity. Bill's approach was too intimate, and not required, and he knew it.

"Great kisses you two. Sookie, I loved how you could still sense your hurt and a slight reluctance there. Great job. Alright now, just like we blocked it, you're going to back Stephen into the bedroom, removing his shirt as you go," said Allen, pantomiming what he wanted to see. "When you get to the bed, we'll change camera angles. Once we're set up, Bill, you pull Sookie's shirt up over her head. Watch you don't mess the hair because I don't want to have to call make-up in here. Then Sookie, you'll wrap your legs around his waist, OK? And then you guys fall back onto the bed. Ready and …"

I kept my eyes trained over Bill's shoulder as I slid the shirt off his back, touching him as little as possible. My hand swept off of him too soon and it shocked me. There was simply _less_ of him. It was surprising to me how quickly I was already used to Eric's mass. It reminded me of that odd sensation you have when you first wash your hair after cutting it much shorter and your fingers whip out of your hair, having reached the edge seemingly too soon.

"Sookie," Bill rasped while they set up the new angle. "I know you still feel something."

I raised my eyebrows at him and gave him my best incredulous look. That statement didn't even warrant an answer.

And then the slow fuse that had been burning in Bill all night began to near its destination.

As the camera rolled, Bill pulled my shirt up and off and aggressively stepped forward against my body.

My skin crawled.

_Focus Sookie. He is nothing like Eric. My hands rubbing lotion across the smooth, hard planes of Eric's chest. The heat of the sun on his skin. The electricity sparking my fingers __at the gentlest touch. _

I was supposed to wrap my legs around him now, but it was too much. I couldn't make myself do it. It was exactly the same thing Eric and I had done at the beach house before we were thwarted. I'd be damned if I was going to replay it with Bill. I stood there stiffly and Bill huffed in annoyance before he grabbed me roughly by the waist and sat me forcibly on the bed. I bounced there in surprise, but I lay back as I was scripted to because I was going to nail this in one take. He grabbed my panties and tugged them down my legs. This wasn't the gentle passion Allen had been looking for. This wasn't how Eric would touch me.

_He better not fuck up this scene because I am not filming this twice. _

"Fuck! Excuse my language, kids, but that was vicious! Bill, you were an animal. You're a lucky girl, Sookie. Here, we'll get outta here so you two can…" he cleared his throat and winked at us.

When the room was clear, Bill grabbed a set piece and appeared to be ready to hurl it across the room. He caught my eyes and reigned himself in before striding off the set.

If that was bad, the next scene we filmed after lunch was even worse in some ways. It was a scene where we visited his vampire child's home and Bill was scripted to be disappointed with my actions and send me home. The anger rolled off him in waves that had even Jessica and the extras casting glances at Allen and the crew.

His rendering of the brilliant line 'shut up' and his execution of the scene where he had to push me up against a wall picked up a fury and a roughness that was uncalled for. Clearly, unable to deal with his emotions, he was letting them out through his character. Unfortunately, Allen seemed to love animal Bill. There was no way they were not going to print that scene.

When they wrapped for the evening, and I was ready to leave, I gave Allen a courteous and professional smile, just as my Gran would expect.

"Good night," I said simply.

He bowed at me.

I leaned into Bill as if for a friendly, private word. "If you ever handle me roughly again, I will tell Allen everything. And if Eric goes down, you're going with him. For now, you're lucky that crow is all I'm expecting you to eat."

Bill's eyes took on a pleading look and he opened his mouth to speak.

I cut him off with a look. "You chose this when you made your deal with the devil, Bill Compter, don't you dare take your frustrations out on me. And if you _dare_ to come back to the apartment tonight, you can sleep in the parking garage, in your fucking car."

As my Gran would have said, 'People with _no_ manners get _no_where.'

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><p><strong>AN: Can y'all hold on a couple more days?**

**Some dialogue in this chapter is excerpted from True Blood, Season Two, Episode 2, **_**Nothing but the Blood**_**.**


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: IMPORTANT INFORMATION: Please read my note at the end of this chapter once you have finished reading it. Thanks.**

**Thank you to everyone who has supported me through the process of writing this story. You're wonderful.**

**XO to Northman Maille. You made me laugh repeatedly while I made your corrections. I'm so happy I have you in my corner.**

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><p><em>Previously….<em>

_Bill's eyes took on a pleading look and he opened his mouth to speak._

_I cut him off with a look. "You chose this when you made your deal with the devil, Bill Compter, don't you dare take your frustrations out on me. And if you dare to come back to the apartment tonight, you can sleep in the parking garage, in your fucking car."_

_As my Gran would have said, 'People with no manners get nowhere.' _

**Chapter 1****5**

Guilt was hanging over me like a storm cloud. Sookie was protecting me by keeping Lorena's photo out of the press, and no matter how much I told her to let me take the bullet, she wouldn't agree. She insisted that we could find a way out of this. I reluctantly conceded. I hoped we did, and soon, because it was killing me that she had to spend any time with Bill, knowing how badly he had hurt her. I planned to do everything I could to shield her from this horrible situation.

My knuckles itched with the desire to punch him right in his smug, pasty face. Actors did all kinds of sordid things to get ahead in this business, but Bill's agreement with Allen was a new low I had never even heard of.

The downsides of fame drove me from the entertainment industry for a while when I was younger, and I only came back to it because I well and truly loved acting – not fame. I could act anywhere, and while I valued my reputation (and my family's good name) and wasn't keen for that photo to hit the press, I didn't value fame at all, so I felt only contempt for Bill, Lorena and Allen that they would go to such lengths to acquire a measure more of it.

I wasted no time in approaching him, although I was channeling my best Sheriff of Area 5, so I deliberately moved in a languid, unhurried way that projected the confidence of one accustomed to dealing with tediousness. And while this matter with Sookie was not small, the man I was approaching had certainly revealed himself to be.

Bill seemed to be doing his best to look aloof.

"We need to talk," I drawled. I kept my face stony and my eyes sharp. It wasn't hard. No lions or cowboys required as inspiration today.

"I don't see there is anything to talk about," said Bill, still wearing the smug face. He was probably thinking that he had been naked with my girl before me, but none of that would matter once I really had her.

"Bill," I said calmly, advancing on him until I was right in his space and looking down on him, "you can do whatever you want with me, but I am not putting her in this position anymore."

"How noble of you," he stated in that annoyingly superior way of his.

"At least one of us is," I bit back. "I know all about your treatment of Sookie on the Shreveport shoot, and you have to know there is no way in hell I'd allow you to live with her for one more day. I want her out of that situation, _now_."

"That was not what we agreed to," he said petulantly.

"Believe me Bill, you are the one who makes the bad agreements around here. Sookie agreed to pretend to be your girlfriend, nothing more. There were no agreements about living together."

"But, if she moves out, then the media will report that we have split, or that there is trouble, no matter how often we are seen by the cameras."

"That is not my problem," I replied calmly.

"It will be," he menaced.

"Who died and made you king?" I asked, quirking an incredulous brow.

"Lorena's photo makes me king. It makes me bloody _emperor_," he preened.

"Poorly played, Bill. We could have come to an amenable agreement, but you leave me with no choice. Sookie will be moving in with me. I doubt you will leak to the press. You have too much to lose. I have a home in the Hollywood Hills. I recently purchased the property next door for family to use when they visit. If you really need to maintain the ruse of living together, then you will live there. Sookie can enter by your front door and come home to me through our backyard. This is non-negotiable. Take it or leave it. If you want to throw your career away with mine, then I'm willing. Go for it."

"What does Sookie have to say about this?"

"I haven't discussed it with her yet."

"Awfully high-handed of you wouldn't you say?"

"Perhaps," I said with a smirk, "but I'd rather be high-handed than underhanded. I need to protect her from you and this is the only way that feels right to me."

"Hey!" called Allen. "What're you two butting heads about, huh? C'mon, hug it out boys. No? No hugs? Well then, whatever 'football' match you're disagreeing about," he said, using air quotes, "put it on the backburner. Or better yet, channel it into your acting. Take your marks, and we'll start filming now. Shopping mall, Take One, in 5, 4, 3…"

Bill and I made it though the entire shoot without my knuckles needing to break his jaw. As I was about to walk off set, he approached me.

"Lorena is…thinking about it," he said, his expression a little wry, belying his true feelings for an unguarded moment.

"Well, when your puppet master takes your strings off, here's the key, and the address," I said, handing him a small envelope.

He pocketed it quickly and strode off.

SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

A raging hard-on had been plaguing me all day and it was getting worse. It seemed the closer Sookie got to me, the more I could feel her, as if her proximity were something tangible. She had most certainly landed by now and would be on her way to the studio, cramming her lines.

I paced around the back hallways of the production complex, trying to keep my boner away from public view. I hoped I would bump into her again, as we had wont to do – and I wanted to. I wanted her – all of her – wherever the fuck we could. I had mental images of Sookie running into me and being simultaneously staked by my wood. I swear, if she rounded that corner right now I would plaster her to the wall with my body, devour every inch of her soft, sweet flesh and bury myself in her until she was screaming my name. And at this point I hardly gave a damn who heard us, saw us, or photographed the evidence.

_Where are you, __Sookie?_

Ten more minutes.

_Still n__o Sookie._

I made my circuit larger.

_This must be the way she would walk to get to the set_.

_No Sookie. What if…__oh god._

I couldn't let my head go there. She was fine, just maybe late.

Finally I had to head to the set or risk being late myself. When I arrived, Sookie was already there and in costume. She had gone directly to wardrobe. In my excitement I had forgotten that she liked to rehearse in full character. My heart beat hard. I equally adored and craved every inch of her toned, tanned frame, swallowed up in a red Fangtasies T-shirt.

"Eric, we've been waiting on you. Everyone on their markers please. Ready? Slap Happy Rehearsal Take One," said Allen before counting down as if we were filming.

"His name is _Nelsan_, spat Sookie, "and you should be ashamed of yourself for what you've done to him." Her eyes drank me in momentarily and then she hauled off and slapped me. Hard.

It shot straight to my cock. Fuck, I had to feel that again. It would be worth it for the look in her eyes alone, well, and the taunting jiggle of her breasts.

"I'm glad you're feeling better," I crooned, "and may I add, that color suits you very well."

Sookie tore into her lines with a ferocity that made her sexy as hell. _Mmm. _ I didn't ever want to fight with Sookie, but her passion was something to behold and I was quite certain that it would culminate in fucktacular make-up sex.

I was mesmerized. Utterly.

"Cut!" yelled Allen. "Earth to Eric, where did ya go? And, Sookie, kiddo, the slap was great, but the angry part needs equal parts passion _and_ hate. Yes, you're gonna want to lick that smirk off his face by the end of the season, but you mostly just hate him right now. I really wanna see it, feel it, taste it. Make it real for me kiddo. I want to get this all in one shot when we film, so we'll start again from the beginning. Rehearsal Take Two!"

_End of the season? She __is going to lick that smirk off my face as soon as this rehearsal is over. And anywhere else I can get her to lick me. _

With Bill behind her and Allen to the side, Sookie was free to share a lusty look with me, and boy did she. She licked her lips and then sharpened her gaze. I was about to be eye-fucked by angry Sookie.

"…you should be ashamed of yourself for what you've done to him," she spat out and with a fiery glint in her eye, she pulled back her tiny, delicate hand and gave it to me good, I mean SakJakt good. She had an arm on her.

_Fuck. Me. _

In a split second I had to decide what was making my cock twitch more – the slap or the hellcat. Both, but the slap definitely had the edge. It was time to flub my lines, on purpose this time.

"I'm glad you're feeling _bitter_, and may I add, that…_shirt_…suits you very well," I said.

"Cut! What is it with all the wrong lines recently?"

"Uh, sorry Allen, we didn't have a lot of time to learn these ones and I always mix up 'better' and 'bitter'," I said, pleading English as a second language.

"OK, Take Three. Eric, the line is 'I'm glad you're feeling better, and may I add that color suits you very well,' he rattled off.

"Uh, Allen, I was going to improv, but maybe it's better if I ask you first. I was thinking the character might take more advantage of this moment. Can I show you what I'm thinking?"

"Sure! Lay it on us," said Allen enthusiastically.

"Alright, then. Sookie," I said, facing her, "you slap me, and I'm going to try to intercept."

Sookie took in a breath and her eyes widened a bit. She bit her bottom lip and drew her hand back before giving me another very sexy slap.

I intercepted her forearm as she went to remove her hand and turned it towards my mouth. I ran my lips up her wrist, inhaling her scent as if it were a drug. I stoked the fire in my eyes and let my nostrils flare with arousal. Little red splotches were creeping up Sookie's neck from under her shamefully large t-shirt. She was about to come undone.

"…I am glad you're feeling better," I breathed.

"Yikes! Someone get a fire extinguisher. Have you two been reading the books or something? You can't be that overt yet. Let it keep simmering. We can't let it reach a full boil in season two. But you two will have some pretty steamy dream sequences to film soon." He jerked his head to the side, responding to a huff from Mr. Pasty White. "No, no, no, don't worry Bill, you can chaperone, make sure this giant Viking doesn't try to pillage your property, ha ha."

Bill looked like he had just sucked on a lemon.

So, with that fucking amazing improv behind us, and metaphorical slap to Bill's face delivered, we continued our rehearsal.

When the next slap came, I almost did too. My need for her was urgent and I couldn't wait to get the hell out of here. I took deep breaths and waited while the team gave us feedback, and then let us go for the day. I caught Sookie's eye and cocked my head towards the alternate exit before I turned to leave. That was when I heard Sookie broadcast to Bill…

"Oh, hon, I have some things I need to talk to wardrobe about, so I'll meet you at home."

"I have been meaning to tell you about my wonderful surprise," he said.

"What?" Sookie was clearly taken aback.

"Well, I know how much you wanted a yard," he proclaimed loudly, "so I have procured for us a lovely little villa in the Hollywood Hills."

Not in control of herself, Sookie spun to look at me and I nodded and winked.

She visibly relaxed. "What a lovely idea Bill. I can't wait to see it. I guess I'll see you in the parking lot then, say in 20 minutes?"

I could make very good use of 20 minutes.

I knew as well as my body knows whether it is day or night that she was right behind me. I pushed through the heavy metal door into the hallway of the production complex and leaned my back against the wall, waiting.

Sookie came through the door, her eyes heavy with want and before the door even clunked into place she was climbing me. My hands grasped her firm, voluptuous ass, clad thankfully in nothing more than black boy shorts. I pressed her against Wet Willy's big brother who had been having anger management problems in my pants ever since our first hallway event. I liked this one much better.

Fuck. The heat of her. Her tongue tasted every inch of my mouth and neck. With each lick the infinitesimal space between us was erased as she compressed and arched her body more completely against mine.

Like a sixteen year old boy I reveled in her breasts thrusting into my chest, and I thrilled at her breath which was heaving raggedly.

I spotted a door down the hall and staggered to it. I fumbled with the handle and discovered a utility closet full of brooms and mops and paper towels. I kicked the door shut behind us and setting her on a shelf, I pulled her large t-shirt over her head. Her perfect, spectacular breasts swung like ripe fruit and her boy shorts showed off her smooth stomach and perfectly rounded hips. This, _this_ was a woman. Fuck. I just wanted to lick and bite and devour every inch of her. I ran my reverent hands down her breasts, brushing her nipples gently and swore as I watched them respond to my worship.

Sookie let out a hot breath and I could see she was staring at my straining jeans as much as I was staring at her. I stepped forwards so her nipples grazed my chest and offered the button of my jeans to her dainty hands. She had them undone in a flash and my aching cock sprang from my jeans like some kind of pop-up toy. She gasped and her mouth fell open as she wrapped her hand around me.

_Toy with me, Sookie._

"Has this ever actually, um, fit in anybody?" she whispered, aghast. "I knew you were big, I've felt you, but feeling and seeing are two different things…obviously. She gulped and looked at me, her face wearing a combination of need and shock.

I chuckled and brought my mouth to hers while I ran my hand up her thigh and slid my thumb into the crotch of her panties, sinking it between her smooth, hot, wet, lips.

_Fuck, I better be careful or I'm going to blow it before I have a chance to show her we're a perfect fit._

"As long as I have you this hot, lover, I'll always be a perfect fit for you," I mumbled into her mouth.

She moaned into mine and her grip on my cock tightened shattering my restraint.

I grabbed the side of her panties roughly to rip them from her but she yelped.

"Wardrobe!" She held her legs out and I slid them off of her in a fluid motion before bringing my cock to slip and slide against her clit.

"Don't tease me Viking," she begged.

So instead I teased her opening. I locked her eyes with mine and brought a hand up to tenderly stroke her cheek.

She bit her lip and I gripped it with my teeth, pulling it free, before placing a loving kiss on both lips. I pushed into her gently but she was so wet my head slipped past her tightest spot with a pop and she gasped, shifting her hips towards me and gripping my ass with her heels to work me deeper.

Fuck. She was so tight, and hot, but so wet that she sunk me to the hilt with one squeeze of her legs.

We both groaned and cursed in our respective languages until I heard a plaintive, 'faster'. I picked up the pace, grabbing her beautiful ass with one hand while memorizing her left breast with the other.

The shelf was creaking and thunking and we were panting and swearing when suddenly the door burst open and a deflated-looking custodian shook his head in resignation and sighed.

"Not, again. Clean up after yourselves, will ya?" And with that he was gone, slamming the door behind him.

Sookie giggled. "I wonder which other stars have gotten it on in here?"

"I wouldn't want to know what they wrote their autographs with," I whispered huskily.

She purred. My gorgeous, lovely, good, thoughtful, selfless Sookie _purred_. My sex kitten deserved a treat.

I grabbed her and sank down onto the floor, my knees bent under me and her legs fell to the sides of mine while her breasts swung tantalizingly in my face. I thrust deep into her and she sobbed my name.

I stroked her body and licked and sucked her breasts and her lips while I let her ride me to oblivion, and I was right with her.

We clung to each other through the aftermath, catching our breaths, kissing in relieved happiness.

"Where are we exactly?" she giggled.

"A broom closet," I laughed.

"I can't believe we waited all this time for the perfect moment and ended up in a broom closet," she said, shaking her head.

"Is my woman not satisfied?" I asked, feigning disbelief.

"No, in fact, I'm not. This was not nearly the first time I was expecting. We need to try again. And you'd better impress me, Viking. I want it to be something worthy of your skills and…gifts," she said, slipping down my legs and giving my still hard cock a long, languorous lick.

Perfect. She was so perfect. And she was mine. Mine.

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><p><strong>AN: I am sad to report that this fic will be slowing down dramatically. I have just received some very bad family news that will require my undivided attention. I know how much time you have all invested in reading this story and I have been so honored to have your support. I hope that I can continue to take comfort in that. Please know that I do intend to finish this story and will need the distraction of my hobby, but it will be difficult to balance with real life. Thank you for everything my lovely fanfic friends and wonderful Beta, IWishIHadARiver.**

**XO Cagey**

**Some dialogue in this chapter is excerpted from True Blood, Season Two, Episode 2, **_**Keep this Party Going**_**. **

**Some dialogue in this chapter is excerpted from True Blood, Season Two, Episode 3, **_**Scratches**_**. **

**Disclaimer: All SVM and HBO characters and dialogue are the intellectual property of Charlaine Harris and HBO. I do not seek to gain from their inspiration. This is a work of fiction. **


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: Hi everyone! I was so floored by and comforted by the outpouring of support I received from all of you when I announced my hiatus. The last six weeks have been the most difficult of my life with pending diagnoses for BOTH of our children, but I am happy to report that we have come through the worst of it and whatever happens now, we're going to be OK. Here is what I have learned: Listen to your gut and if you think something is wrong with your children or yourself, don't wait and 'give it more time' which is what everyone tells us to do. Pursue it. Right away.**

**Thank you to my Beta and sister IWishIHadARiver, who supports me in so many more ways than intervening to curb my destructive use of the "ellipsis"… (But… it's… it's just… it's just so… **_**useful**_**… and plus I feel like it's kinda my signature style… and…) OK running out of funny. She was right! I removed a bunch and the chapter is still lousy with them. I'm going to try to cut down. Next she'll be on me about my italics habit : )**

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><p><em>Previously…<em>

"_I can't believe we waited all this time for the perfect moment and ended up in a broom closet," she said, shaking her head. _

"_Is my woman not satisfied?" I asked, feigning disbelief._

"_No, in fact, I'm not. This was not nearly the first time I was expecting. We need to try again. And you'd better impress me, Viking. I want it to be something worthy of your skills and…gifts," she said, slipping down my legs and giving my still hard cock a long, languorous lick. _

_Perfect. She was so perfect. And she was mine. Mine._

**Chapter 16**

My body was draped over his as we caught our respective breaths. I willed my spent muscles to give him a squeeze and he returned it, wrapping me up completely. I rested my head on his shoulder and reveled in the amazing sensation of closeness and my damp skin against his. This was best... this was right… this was proof positive that we were both as crazy as Lorena for having put this off so long. What the hell had we been thinking? I nibbled the crook of his neck with my lips and tongue, enjoying the taste of salt and the smell of his skin. I pressed my nose into him and inhaled deeply.

_Eric._ I had never been able to get enough of the delicious way he smelled and now I got to taste him too. I was a lucky girl.

"Are you smelling me, lover?" he asked, clearly amused.

"Mm hmm. I don't have to sneak your shirts from wardrobe anymore," I said under my breath.

"What?" he asked.

"Oh, nothing, just enjoying how great you smell," I said.

"I think our twenty minutes were up about twenty minutes ago," chuckled Eric.

A zing of adrenaline invaded my happiness and I took a deep breath.

"Eric, I'm not going with him. I can't believe he would think he could buy a house and have me suddenly want to keep living with him. But you winked at me, so I figure something is up that will make this OK?" I screwed my face up in wary expectation.

"We haven't had a chance to discuss this yet, and I didn't want to do it on the phone, so I was hoping to catch you before rehearsal, but as you know…"

"Lay it on me," I encouraged, really not sure where this was going.

"Sookie." Eric stroked my hair away from my eyes and kissed me gently but with a little more heat than we had time for. "I love you, so much," he mumbled against my mouth and then pulled back to look at me. "We already have to be apart far too often for filming, I refuse to be apart from you the rest of the time. Live with me." His tone was possessive, commanding and yearning all at once – a powerful combination and I had no intention of disobeying such a sexy order.

My heart fluttered and my stomach flipped with excitement. I nodded my head enthusiastically, and tightened my arms around him as I kissed my response into his lips. "There will be a lot of work for us to do. We'll need to break in every room in the beach house, mmm and the walls, the floor, the couch…" I peppered kisses up his neck.

"I have a different plan," Eric confided, getting my attention. "Bill was kicking up a fuss about you needing to live with him, but I told him that he has to meet us more than half way for as long as he and Lorena can get away with this sham. I own the house next door to me and guess who my new tenant is? It will look like you're living with him, but you'll actually be living with me."

"Get the fuck out! _You are_ _brilliant,_" I exclaimed, giving his shoulder a shove, "and as soon as Amelia has time to get a meeting with her Dad, we'll be able to come up with another plan to nail their asses to the wall."

"That's my girl," he said, appraisingly. "I can't believe I finally get you all to myself, and all of you," he emphasized as he began trailing his hot mouth down to my breasts. "How about another twenty minutes?"

SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

It was a short but brutal drive to our new homes. Bill completely ignored me when I entered the car, so I took solace in the fact that I wouldn't have to get into it with him. That was until we pulled into the driveway.

"Sookie, I…"

"Save it, Bill. What could you possibly say?" I challenged, not looking for an answer.

"So much. So, so much," he said.

"And yet, it wouldn't be nearly enough," I replied with finality.

The door swung open and Eric was waiting for me. I eyed the two beautiful Spanish villas, secluded at the end this winding Hollywood Hills road, with what promised to be spectacular views. My shoulders came down as I noted that there were no paparazzi in sight, and unless they were camped out up a tree, or skilled at rock climbing, there was nowhere to hide. Still, for appearances sake, if anyone were to see, and to keep to our arrangement, I entered Bill's with him, while Eric entered ours. '_Ours.' _ I loved the thought of that, the sound of it.

I breezed through Bill's new open-concept house noting with amusement that it was outfitted with antiques, or at least vintage-looking furniture. It had a distinct western feel. He would hate it.

"Sookie," he said just as I reached the door to the backyard.

"Again, Bill? Really? Words are meaningless. _Actions_ are meaningful. _Growth_ is meaningful. Growing a spine, in particular, would be meaningful about now," and with that I slammed the door behind me and located the gate that led into Eric's, or _our_ property.

He was waiting just behind it and tackled me to the grass, kissing away my shriek with a mouth that couldn't keep from smiling while all six and a half feet and two hundred odd pounds of him steamrolled me around the lawn. When we hit the grit of flagstones I took my bearings to see that we were beside the most idyllic-looking swimming pool I'd ever seen. It was surrounded by natural stone and lush plants.

"Wow," I mused, "it's like the Garden of Eden meets Playboy Mansion."

Eric growled and thrust his suddenly rock hard snake against my tempting fruit. "You would fit in perfectly at either place," he said with a cocked brow and a tone that sent shivers down my spine. He strained to prop himself up on his elbows beneath me and I settled back into his lap, looking down on him, memorizing the line of his jaw, the handsome fullness of his lips and those eyes that were always a surprise and that, even in my memories, I couldn't recreate the color of if I tried.

I opened my mouth to say something no doubt profound when I was unceremoniously pitched into the pool. I shrieked and came up laughing.

"You jerk! You're lucky I'm not still in wardrobe."

Eric's face took on a dangerous expression and he crooked a finger at me. I approached warily, anticipating a trick. As soon as I was within arms reach he hauled me out of the pool and laid me on the deck.

"No. _Wardrobe_ is lucky you're not still in wardrobe," he rasped as he gripped my dress in his fists and tore it straight down the middle. The sound of the rip reverberated against the stones that surrounded the pool and so did my surprised cry. My panties gave in as easily as I was about to and a cry of anticipation the likes of which I had never uttered escaped my lips before I had a chance to consider my surroundings.

I heard Bill's back door slam and slapped my hand over my mouth. I'd never been one to lose all sense of social propriety and the shame of it started to creep over me. I wiggled under him to try to get up, but he pressed his hips into me harder and stopped me with a look that was dead serious and wouldn't be denied. I gulped as he gripped my hand and pried it from my mouth, replacing it with his lips and tongue and his ragged breath.

"Moan into my mouth… scream if you need to… not going anywhere… not waiting. _Mine_," he growled, increasing his grip on me and the intensity of his pillaging.

I whimpered in submission. Shivers ran down my wet, naked body and the throbbing between my legs kept time as he scraped his teeth down my neck to my chest.

His hair was deliciously messed up. That was the head that had fallen asleep on my couch on movie night. Those were the gorgeous muscular shoulders I had massaged sunscreen into so many times, yearning for more, and now here we were. Why should I care where? Why should I care about Bill's feelings when he clearly never cared about mine?

I thrust my hand in between us and tugged open the button of his perilously low slung jeans before perching my feet on his hips and using them to slide the offending clothing down his body.

The head of his cock zeroed in on me and before I could even lower my hips back to the ground his hand slipped under me, gripping my ass roughly while he drove himself as deep as he could go. The sensation of his enormous size stretching me to my limit was overwhelming. I didn't know if I would ever adjust to it, but I planned to try and hoped to fail.

The combined noise we made was worsened by the fact that it was simultaneous and we both tried to muffle it. But we were too far gone for embarrassment. We were not, however, too far gone for major skin abrasions. Even with my dress under me, Eric's first few thrusts gave me rock burn. I cried out in shock.

"Oh, Sookie. _Fuck. _ I have dreamed of making you scream like that," he said thrusting harder and I really yelped before he realized my vocal stylings were pain-related.

"Ouch?" I gasped, grimacing.

Eric's eyes widened as he looked at the stonework and nodded in a shocked 'of course' kind of way. He hiked me up against him and fell backwards onto an inflated pool raft that had been pulled up onto the lawn.

I caged him with my body and he gripped my breasts, giving them a firm squeeze and letting out a full breath.

"You have no idea how many times I wanted to just grab these while you flaunted them in your tiny bikinis. Don't tell me you didn't know you were driving me fucking wild."

"Mmm hmm?" I mumbled, intent of examining his erection with the five fingers that weren't holding me up. "And what would you have done to them?" I asked suggestively.

"This for starters," he said, giving them another squeeze. "And then, this," he whispered, licking each nipple and making them sensitive to the warm breeze. "And then this," he groaned as he rubbed the scruff of his cheeks and his face against my breasts."

"Ahh, _Ericized_. I have always wanted the full treatment," I giggled.

He raised an eyebrow at me and then whispered, "And this," before sucking a nipple into his mouth and caressing it with his tongue.

"Well, that would teach me," I moaned lightly. "Do you have any idea how many times I wanted to trace your muscles with my tongue and slide my hands into your swim trunks while you made me apply your daily sunscreen?"

He chuckled. "I was hoping you would. My evil plan failed."

"Not in my dreams," I said to myself.

"What?" he asked, intrigued.

I looked away, embarrassed.

"What?" he asked again, tickling my ribs.

"Uh, in my dreams, your evil plan was very successful," I admitted, blushing scarlet.

"You dreamed about me, Sookie?" he taunted, trailing a finger down my cleavage and fixing me with a superhot _Eric Fucking Northgard_ stare.

I didn't answer,

He licked his lips and looked at me very seriously. "That night. The night of the bad dream. Was it actually a very _good _dream?" he suggested.

I bit my lip. "A very, very good dream. Until I woke up, that is."

He groaned. "But waking up _was good_. You could have had the real thing. You have no idea how hard it was to walk away from you that night. I wanted to do so many things to you… with you," he moaned.

"Do them to me now, Eric," I urged, kissing his lips hungrily.

He ran his hand up the back of my neck, and twisted his hand into my hair as we kissed with more passion than I thought was possible. He flipped me over onto my back and gracefully backed his body down mine until his face was even with my sex. He ran his hand under my bottom and down my thigh, gripping it and pulling it to the side before he placed a kiss on my nether lips and dipped his tongue into me, groaning and then pressing his face in deeper, sucking me into his mouth and rhythmically exploring every peak and valley.

I threw my head back and gripped my fingers into his shoulders as wave after wave of tingles crept across my body, culminating in the most intimate and satisfying orgasm of my life.

Eric rolled and pulled me on top of him, kissing me deeply.

I slid my incredibly wet self back and forth against his cock, grinding his head into my clit, still triggering delicious shocks of pleasure. Impossibly, they started to build again and my moves took on a frantic edge.

"Ride me like you did in your dreams, Sookie," he demanded thickly.

I pulled my belly in and the change in angle lined him up perfectly. I impaled myself on him, unbelievably bigger and harder than before – bigger than in my dreams. The size of him… the pressure of him… it was almost impossible not to come again immediately, and so I did, earning me a very satisfied smirk from my man. Not to be outdone, he came undone almost as quickly.

I collapsed onto him, my legs twined with his and our lips brushing against each other.

After a few minutes I finally found my voice. "So, I just want to say this. Classy, Eric – very classy. Is this your idea of a perfect first time? On a pool floaty? Very romantic. I hope you have something better up your sleeve for our _next _first time, because I want another do-over."

"I'll get right on it. No, in fact, you'll get right on it. But before you get right on it, you plan our next first time. And _I_ want it to be perfect," he instructed, turning the tables on me.

"Challenge accepted," I replied. This was going to be fun.

I sat up suddenly as I heard an awful splintering crash come from next door followed by a loud oath. I turned to look at Eric but he had his arms covering his face and his chest was heaving with suppressed laughter.

"I know we hate the guy, but don't you think we should go and see if he's ok?" I asked, hardly believing myself until another crash sounded, followed by another, loader oath, this one directed at Eric as I seemed to hear his name seeping through the plaster. It did sound like a major event was occurring over there.

"He's fine," he wheezed.

"That's the sound of 'fine'?"

Eric just kept laughing, no longer able to suppress it.

"Seriously, c'mon!" I said, my compassionate, human side taking hold.

"No, I mean it, he's fine," choked Eric. "I remembered you love antiques and he hates them, so I visited my friend at the back lot and got a load of bar furniture from the old west sets, you know, the kind that breaks when you hit someone over the head with it. The house wasn't furnished, so…"

My mouth dropped open about as wide as my eyes.

"Eric Northgard. Just when I think I can't possibly love you more," I giggled, shaking my head. "But we can't do that to him…"

Eric looked at me like I was crazy.

"…for very long."

"It won't be for very long. He should be completely without any main room furniture within the week. I'll give him an IKEA gift card."

"Oh, that's even better. It will remind him of you."

Eric rose then and scooped me up, carrying me through his perfect, perfect yard to the back door.

Just before we crossed the threshold, I took a deep breath, sampling the night air.

Eric cocked his head and I answered, "Oh, I just love having a yard, but especially at night. The smells, the sounds, the stillness, I could just wrap myself up in it."

"Me too," he said, "I couldn't live without one."

And I didn't think I could live without him.

After a tour of his tastefully decorated villa and a light dinner, we took our exhausted bodies to his bed and I rested my head on his chest in the dip below his shoulder while his arm held me tight.

"What are we going to do about this mess we're in, Sookie?"

"We're going to find our way out. Don't worry. Desperation makes people stupid. It might take us a while, but with Amelia on our side, we'll find something that will make your Kodak moment look less credible or less shocking than a Weekly World News sighting of Bat Boy.

The next morning, we were enjoying a romantic breakfast of Cheerios in fluffy white robes when a sudden pounding at the front door made me splash my milk.

SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

"Good Morning, Bill," I said cheerily, hoping he had a good view of Sookie sitting at _my_ table, in _my_ robe, eating _my_ Cheerios.

_Mine. _

"How was your first night in your new home?" I asked.

"Good morning, slumlord," he sneered. The furniture is substandard and the neighbours are very… loud. What, were you over there behind the fence, moaning and crying to hurt my feelings?"

"No, Bill. That wasn't acting."

"Well then, why don't you take that porn star cock of yours and make a career change. You know, I understand that dialogue isn't a high priority in the adult film industry, and it's very international, you should have no trouble at all," he hissed.

I put my hand on Bills' shoulder casually and pulled him close. "In a minute, I'm going to put this porn star cock in your 'girlfriend' over there and move it around a little and make her see god. But I'm sure you know all about that. I bet Lorena fucks you with her dick all day. I mean, you are very obviously her bitch."

Bill pursed his lips. "We'll see who is whose bitch," he said. "Here's the new production schedule, courtesy of Lorena. She is making sure we get the majority of our scenes in the can for this season right away, so any plans you might have to try to ruin us will fail."

I blankly refused comment and, not getting a rise out of me, he handed me a stack of paper.

"I have something for you too," I said, unperturbed. I reached over to the table near the entrance and grabbed the IKEA gift card that I knew he would need. I slipped it into his pocket and patted it before turning around and shutting the door behind me.

Sookie looked at me. "What did I miss?" she asked.

"Just a cockfight," I replied with a chuckle. "Ready to pack for Dallas?" I asked.

"What?" she said looking confused.

The combination of her intelligent dialogue and the befuddled look on her face made me feel like we were in one of those movies that Bill so obviously had on the brain.

"Did you order a pizza?" I asked, waggling my brows.

_Bow chic a wow wow._

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><p><strong>AN: With my life being so much busier here now, the updates will be very slow for this fic, but I hope you'll all still enjoy reading. I love my fanfic friends and enjoy the community very much.**

**What did you think of this chapter? I figured after how long they abstained, they wouldn't be able to keep their hands off each other! **


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: Just caught my own error…of course they didn't really film the Dallas episodes in Dallas, but for the sake of not rewriting the last chapter…they did. Sure they did! You know they did. Do we really need to argue about this? Just…start reading…or I'll use more ellipses. **

**My Beta is awesome. She had to work hard this chapter – eek! Thank you, IWishIHadARiver!**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 17<strong>

"Are you picking a fight? I'd like to see you try," said Eric to an apparently emboldened and definitely reckless Bill.

They were off in the far corner of the ballroom, clearly in the midst of a genuine standoff. It was so unlike Eric to have an outburst. I was surprised that Bill could make him angry enough to lose his temper even in front of Allen. Well, maybe not so surprised. This trip had sucked with a capital 'S'.

The nasty, snide, barely-concealed remarks had been flying since day one from both Bill and Lorena and after four days of blocking scenes, rehearsals in this incongruously claustrophobic ballroom, and of course all of the sneaking around, Eric and I had had just about enough. Bill and Lorena seemed to be having a fight, as they weren't sharing his room every night after I didn't go in there with him. I wished they'd make up so Bill could get laid again, because you could cut this tension with a knife.

"Boys, boys, now c'mon. You're buddies!" exclaimed Allen, striding over to them. "What you and Sookie have is solid as a rock, Bill. You just moved into a new home together, and Eric is your neighbor now for chrissakes. Whatever it is, work it out. I'm sure you're upset that the Swede is about to put his Viking paws all over your woman, but don't worry, I'll make sure you're on set and you can yell cut whenever you want. Does that help us?"

"It most certainly does, Allen. And thank you," said Bill, putting on his best ass-kissing face.

I tried to shove down my anxiety around Eric and Bill and took a deep breath. Lorena and I switched our attention back to one another. She gave me a sarcastic smile and I gave her a totally unimpressed expression and trained my eyes on my script. We were rehearsing our characters' first encounter. It wasn't going to be hard to act.

She was wreaking havoc with the production schedule. She obviously had Allen so wrapped around her precious little finger that he would upset the schedules of some of the industry's best directors. How did I know this? She told me. She not only told me, she bragged about it.

But _how_ was she doing it? That was what I wanted to know.

"Don't even think about planning anything funny, Sookie. I'm getting my scenes in the can now so Allen can't put _us_in the can."

"How strategic of you, Lorena. But do you know what would have been even better? "

"What? She looked genuinely perplexed.

"Not doing any of this. I mean… I'm confused. Why was any of this necessary? Why couldn't Bill and I have just broken up and dealt with the consequences and continued to work on the show? It might have affected Bill's contract, or it might not, but it wouldn't have affected _you_. And I think this is really all about you, isn't it? I'm right, aren't I?"

"I would never sacrifice Bill!" she whispered harshly, drawing some stares from the other actors.

"But, you'd still be together. Surely if what you have is strong, then it could weather any situation. For goodness sakes, you managed to stay together through him living with me. That's devotion!" I practically exclaimed before remembering to keep my voice hushed.

Lorena fidgeted and looked uneasy before hissing "I am not going to talk about my relationship, _our_ relationship, with _you_!"

Then it hit me like a two ton piano and I gasped. "You're not together, are you?"

She flinched.

"_Are_ you?" I insisted. "You've never been together. But you _want_ to be together," I said slyly.

Lorena turned fifty shades of red before she spat out, "And we would have been if you hadn't put your name in for this role. _I _was supposed to be Anna Staquin. It was supposed to be Bill and _me._ And the contract for Bill would have had _us_ living together and feigning a relationship. He would have finally seen how perfect we are for each other. It would have been heaven, until you came along and ruined everything. Fucking Allen. Fucking… _you_!" she said, jabbing a finger at me.

"Sorry ladies," said Allen, approaching cautiously, "I couldn't make out the lines, but the tone is a little too angry. Think of this scene as a dance you're doing around each other. Lorena, your character has had a relationship with Bill's. You have been intimate with him – beyond intimate. You're holding that over Anna. It's your edge."

The humor was not lost on me.

Now, speaking of 'edge,' said Allen, addressing Lorena tentatively. "The scenes we discussed earlier – the ones where you appear with Bill – the writers and I have been going over them. We like how you were trying to dominate him, but they are reading just a tad too sexy and a tad too mutual. We need to show Bill's desperate need to get back to Sookie. We need to hit the viewer over the head with it a little more. So we've decided that he needs to hit _you_ over the head… with a TV."

Lorena looked completely stunned and I smiled and nodded giving Allen a thumbs-up like he was a genius while I gushed at Lorena, "Wow! Sweepsweek, Lorena! Lucky girl!"

I could see why Allen had decided to drop that bombshell publicly. Whatever hold she had on him, it would be harder for her to combat this change without revealing too much. I really needed to check in with Amelia. This was a puzzle that I couldn't wait to solve, but I decided to make an exit before the steam coming out of her ears frizzed my hair. I had a date with Eric later in my room. Or the stairwell. Or wherever we happened to find some privacy.

SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

"That's it, suck it. Suck it a little harder. And let that juice run down your chin. Yeah, like that. That's hot. And… cut!"

"Does anyone have some water?" I asked. The fake blood was really cloyingly sweet.

"Sure thing, Love," said one of the assistants as she dashed off to get me some.

I sat back on my heels and looked down at Eric with amusement. He'd been reciting something in Swedish between takes. I could tell that having me suck on his chest in front of everyone was having an effect and he was lying completely exposed. I wondered how we'd get through the scene we had to film the following morning. It was a dream sequence and was to be Anna's first dream of Alex. It was a naked dream. I could relate.

The Dallas trip was far from a total bust, as difficult as it had been. Eric and I had had a lot of scenes together and I was with Bill far less than I had expected to be. It turned out that Lorena's changes to the schedule not only increased her time with him, they decreased his time with me. This left my character with lots of time on her hands, which the writers filled with Alex.

It felt great to enjoy my job again. I loved acting with him for more than personal reasons. He was a great actor and our chemistry worked perfectly for our characters. It was a pleasure to be working with him.

"I have what I need everyone. Let's call it a night," called Allen and we all got up and dusted ourselves off.

Just then the assistant arrived with my bottle of water and a spare. "Would you like a bottle of water too, Mr. Northgard?" She batted her eyes at him.

"Why, thank you," he said back, flashing his best _Eric__Fucking__Northgard_ smile, but not without a sideways glance at me.

"Shirley," she said.

"I know your name," he replied with a wink.

She gasped and blushed and ran back to her colleagues practically swooning.

I raised my eyebrows at him in amusement.

"Just doing my part to make the sham believable, Lover," he joked under his breath.

"Hmm, what can _I_ do to make the sham more believable?" I mused, swinging my head in Bill's direction.

He growled.

"Mmm. That's what I like to hear," I whispered.

"Uh, Sookie?" We were interrupted.

"Yes," I said, turning to find my make-up artist behind me.

"You said you didn't want the spray tan so I got you the lotion you wanted. Are you sure you don't need help applying it? Here are some gloves."

"No, thank you. I have lots of experience with it. I'll be fine. And thanks again," I said.

"Remember, don't touch it after you apply it. You'll need to be naked and not touch anything or even sit on anything for at least an hour. And don't get it wet. And don't sweat."

"Got it," I replied.

Eric and I shared a cab back to the hotel as Bill seemed occupied with Allen. As much as we wanted to kiss in the elevator, the footage would show up on TMZ in a heartbeat, so we stood immobile, not looking at each other until we exited and were well into the hallway and could sneak into his room.

Our shower was a beautiful tangle of blonde hair, limbs, lips and moans that seemed to generate some thuds and other angry sounds from Bill's room.

"I guess Bill's home now," I said in a low voice.

"That's the sound of a man who is not fucking the woman who is fucking him," deadpanned Eric.

I giggled but got it under control quickly. "Eric, you know the last thing I want to have to do is hide how I feel about you, but this situation is infuriating him. We're not flaunting anything, but these walls are paper-thin. Maybe we should keep the volume down even more. I'm worried about what he might do."

"Sookie," crooned Eric, "I think you should worry a little less about what he might do and focus on what I'm about to. He gripped my hair possessively as he drew me flush with his body, clearly ready to need another shower all over again.

"Oh," I groaned. "I can't, we can't. We have such an early call and I still need to apply my lotion. It takes ages and I won't be able to go to bed until it has all processed. I'm really tired," I pleaded, wriggling. "I love you," I reassured my giant hormone.

Eric gave up in a good-natured way but still leveled me with a completely raunchy kiss. "Last chance, Lover."

"Ugh, unfnaa," was all I got out before I playfully slipped out of his wet grip and ran from the room, toweling off as I went. "Eric, focus, the world does not want to watch two baggy-eyed haggard-looking stars in their first naked scene. Besides, this scene is special to me. I want it to be great."

My very understanding mate began to dutifully towel off as I dried my hair and before long, he was swaggering towards me in his low riding sleep pants, gloves and lotion at the ready.

He didn't say a word as he snapped the gloves on with the efficient air of a sexy doctor and squeezed a dollop into one hand.

I squirmed, feeling very exposed in front of him and then my breath hitched as the cool lotion hit my skin, eliciting goose bumps and a little shiver that didn't have that much to do with being cold.

"Try not to get wet, Sookie," taunted Eric as he smoothed the lotion around my breasts, paying particular attention to my nipples. "Try not to sweat," he instructed as he ran his slippery hands down my stomach, around my hips, and over my bottom.

"Spread your legs, please," he murmured, and then proceeded to apply lotion to the insides of my thighs and the crease of my legs.

I groaned, "You're very… thorough."

He chuckled. "Not nearly finished, Lover."

"Eric," I whimpered, as his thumbs accidentally on purpose grazed my swollen lips. "I'm pretty sure that part of me doesn't need a tan…and I am _so_ going to torture you tomorrow when you're naked and pressed against me on set. But the best part is, you'll have an audience."

"I look forward to it," he said, his eyes burning into me as kneeled and rubbed lotion down my legs, bringing his face temptingly close to me. "If I can't stick it in you, I can at least stick it to Bill."

SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

I loved this. I loved showing the world my affection for Eric and the depth of our feeling for each other. The dream sequence we were filming had dialogue that would have fit easily into our experiences with each other. After all, his method acting misadventure had definitely left me with the impression that he was made of cold hard stone and the realization that he was not had meant a new reality opened up for both of us.

We just lay there, lost in each other, loving this unique moment of being everything that we were in front of the world.

"Line!" yelled Allen. "Line, Northgard. Somebody! What's Swedish for 'line'?" he yelled**.**

I pressed my hips into him to get his attention. "I think Allen wants you," I whispered.

"Yes, Allen?" asked Eric, innocently.

"Your line, Eric. You need to say your line. We're wasting film!"

"Sorry, Allen. Can you please give me my line again?"

"'This is the beginning,'" said Allen, exasperated.

"Thanks," Eric said.

"Ready and 5,4,3,2, and…"

"This is the beginning," breathed Eric, locking my eyes with a gaze hotter than lava. He pressed his ever-raging hardness into me and captured my lips in an urgent, determined kiss. As his hot tongue slid across mine we forgot the crew once again and got lost in the kiss.

"I said 'cut'! Jesus, Bill, be a man. Aren't you going to intervene?"

"No intervention necessary," said Eric, clearly annoyed. "Do not insult my colleague by implying what you are implying, Allen. It's obviously very difficult for her to film this scene in front of Bill, and it's awkward for me. So don't embarrass us for focusing. Sookie is nothing but professional. Now if you have your take, I think we'd both like to call it a day."

After several hours of finishing what we'd started, I was lying exhausted in Eric's arms and we heard a very drunk Bill out in the hall talking to Lorena. There was some scuffling against the wall and, surprised, we pricked up our ears**.**

"Oh! William," gasped a surprised Lorena. "Oh, William," she said in a decidedly different tone. "Oh, William, I knew you would love me some day, I knew – "

"Shut your mouth you filthy whore and show me what else you can do with it," said Bill roughly, as his key scratched in the lock next door.

The thumping and cussing, the grunting and caterwauling had the very startled pair of us ready to call for help if we ever thought that what we were hearing wasn't just crazy monkey sex.

"Wow," said Eric in a hushed tone. "I…uh, I really didn't expect that of Bill's sexual personality. Do you, I mean, do I…would you…?" he trailed off**.**

"Whoa, there," I laughed. "First of all, if that's Bill's sexual personality, then he has Multiple Personality Disorder, because with him I felt like I was getting perfunctorily poked by a Puritan for whom noises were a sin."

Eric looked relieved.

"And if we don't sound like that," I said, trailing a finger down his sculpted abdomen, "it's only because you're so huge that I'm breathless."

Eric looked smug.

He had every right to.

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><p><strong>AN: I****t ****felt ****so ****great ****to ****hear ****from ****so ****many ****of ****you ****last ****chapter. ****Thank ****you ****for ****all ****of ****your ****thoughts ****and ****encouragement. ****I ****love ****my ****fanfic ****friends! ****Leave ****me ****a ****quick ****review ****if ****you ****can ****to ****tell ****me ****what ****you ****think ****of ****this ****latest ****chapter****…****the ****plot ****is ****moving ****along. ****:****)**

"Are you picking a fight? I'd like to see you try." _—_True Blood, Season Two, Episide 8,_Timebomb__._

"This is the beginning." _—_True Blood, Season Two, Episode 9,_I__Will__Rise__Up__._


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N: Before we begin...the site is having some problems (really?) I can't go into my document and edit after I upload it, so the formatting looks a little different, but in addition, it's removing spaces between italicized words. I tried to add extra spaces, but that didn't help. Rather than submit the document yet again, i'm just going to assume you can all live with this : ) Thank you to my good friend, Northman Maille for having my back on this chapter. This one's for Molly. xo**

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><p><strong>Chapter 18<strong>

A loud, feral grunt issued from next door, followed by the splintering crash of more furniture giving way.

Eric stopped mid-pushup and we eyed each other, eyebrows lifting.

"That didn't sound like balsa wood, Eric. I think that was IKEA furniture," I said, trying to care, but really too fixated on the show taking place in front of me. Eric, shirtless and sweaty after a run, doing pushups was better than anything a fan could get at the box office, and I had a front row seat three to five days a week.

"Yeah, I was over there the other day to fix a leaky tap and there didn't seem to be any prop furniture left standing. The house looked a little roughed up. Those two really go at it like animals. And not in a good way," he added, standing gracefully to look at his phone which had begun to vibrate on the coffee table. "My agent," he said, waving the phone at me and then chuckling when he absorbed the lustful way I was looking at him. "Stay right where you are." And with that he headed to his office to take the call.

Lorena was finally paired with Bill and their violent, obsessive coupling was only bothering us with the ruckus it created. Scoring the object of her lifelong stalking project had obviously sated her demons, because she had scaled back the malice somewhat, allowing Eric and I to warily enjoy a little bliss.

As unusual as this arrangement was, it was working for us, for now, and our lives had entered a gentle lull as we wrapped up the season with re-takes, publicity stills and the occasional voice-over. The first four episodes had already aired to rave reviews and we had our sights firmly set on the season's finale, the wrap party, and a much-needed break. For Eric and me it would be a break from our colleagues as much as a break from work. We were looking forward to a holiday from our forced association with crazy.

Amelia was in China researching herbs, but she kept in touch when she could. Her texts usually looked like this: MY F&%$#ING SO-CALLED DAD IS 2 BUSY 2 TALK 2 ME!

Eric walked into the room with his cell phone in his hand and a conflicted expression on his face, rousing me from my thoughts.

I sat up from where I was lounging on the couch, ready for bad news.

"I just got offered a role in a movie with Leslie Worth," he said, looking stunned.

"Eric!" I jumped up and threw my arms around him, hugging his inert form and then pulled back from him to take a look at his face. It was rather blank for a moment like this. I rubbed my hands up and down his arms vigorously. "Earth to Eric. This is a _good_ thing. Why the long face?"

"I think this might be it – my big break into American film," he said. "It's _Les__Worth_ and they are looking for a big name for her husband too. My agent says that, on the surface, the character looks like a bad guy, which isn't what we're looking for right now after playing the vampire, but he assures me that Charlie is actually a really complex character. He thinks this role would be good for me. The script is on its way over."

I wrapped my arms back around him and squeezed. "But why the face?" I asked.

"It's filming in Louisiana, so I can do it right after we wrap _True __Love_, but it still means that I'll miss six weeks of the summer with you in LA."

My heart sank a little but I had always known this would happen at some point. "I can visit!" I reassured him.

He lit up, but when his smile faded it was obvious that it had just occurred to him too that we wouldn't be able to explain that to anyone.

"We can plan secret getaways when you have time. You'll be back home before we know it. Besides, we won't start getting next season's scripts until October."

"Oh, I know, but there were some things I wanted to do. I wanted to rent Bess' beach house again and spend the summer together, the one we really wanted to have last time."

"I thought it was pretty perfect," I said, nudging him.

"Perfect yes. Satisfying, no. I want a do over of the whole thing," he laughed. "And speaking of 'do overs,' when will you be planning the do over of our first time? I'm waiting, you know."

"I know, I know, the stakes are just so high. I've been trying to come up with something remarkable, but everything just seems so trite – you know, rose petals and all that.

"Rose petals, hmm. I think I would love to see you naked, covered in rose petals," he drawled, wrestling me playfully in his arms as we stumbled towards to couch.

"Oh snap!" I exclaimed, as water from my glass on the coffee table tipped over and started to drown my book.

"You're too busy reading those books, Lover," he teased, snatching it from me as I tried to brush it off with a napkin. "First you didn't want to read them out of some kind of actorly principle and now you can't put them down. What's this, the third time you're reading the series?"

I blushed.

"It's the shower scene, isn't it?" he said, stepping towards me again with purpose and wrapping one large, perfect hand tightly in my hair.

I inhaled deeply. He even smelled irresistible after a run in the sweltering L.A. heat.

"What shower scene?" I replied coyly.

It only made him smirk. "Let me remind you."

And suddenly, I was thrown over his shoulder.

I loved _Caveman __Eric;_ _Eric __Fucking __Northgard;_ _Eric __the __Great_…Eric. I loved him – every one of him.

SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

"So, Eric, there's a little Cajun hole-in-the-wall that's supposed to be amazing over in Ruston and I really hate eating alone. Have you eaten?"

"Uh, no, actually I haven't. I just have to make a call though, so can I meet you in front in about a half hour?" I asked.

She picked at her nails for a second while she considered and answered, "Actually no. The cab is already waiting. I could send it away?"

"No. No, that's OK. I'll make the call when I get home," I said.

Sookie had had to cancel our weekend away together in New Orleans to do a photo shoot. I know I had sounded disappointed when we talked last night. I couldn't help it. I had planned a really romantic few days and we hadn't seen each other since I left L.A. a month ago. I didn't want her to think I was angry, and I had told her we'd talk tonight. With the time difference, it could wait a couple of hours.

She opened the door to my motel and we exited together to the flash of paparazzi bulbs. It was shocking. Where had they come from? Not only were we were staying in a dive to get us in the right frame of mind for our characters, but this shoot hadn't attracted any attention at all, and suddenly _here_? _Now_?

An arm snaked around my waist and my co-star vamped for the cameras. "Hey, we're getting some press," she said, grinning up into my face. "Give them that million-dollar smile of yours."

I really wasn't in the mood for going out, or for dealing with this. I wished I'd had time to call Sookie. She was expecting to hear from me.

SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

I always tried to get a little extra sleep before a photo shoot, but I had just tossed and turned last night. I really missed Eric and felt terrible about cancelling our plans. I hadn't realized he had planned something so romantic, but fashion magazine publishing was a fickle industry. If you cancelled this kind of publicity, they might stop calling. It was far better as a committed actress to have your picture on in one of them than in US Weekly. I knew he was disappointed, but I also knew he understood.

When I got up and went to get the L.A. Times from my doormat, the Entertainment Section has been removed and placed on top.

_Looks __like __True __Love __for _True Love's _Bad __Boy __Vampire._

_Shit. Shit! Shit, shit and double shit! We've been found out!_

I ripped the front page my haste to get to page three.

_Eric and Les Worth?_

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><p><strong>AN: Hmm. What do you think?**

**Thanks for all of your reviews, alerts and encouragement – they have meant so much to me. Things are really looking better here at home, so I hope to be able to start posting more regularly. The next chapter is also ready to go!**


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N: A huge squeeze goes to Northman Maille for her betarrific skills on this chapter. Thank you! xo**

**Chapter 19**

The sound of my phone ringing was really jarring as it intruded on my blissful dream of beach sex with Sookie. The next thing to intrude on my blissful state was Sassa's voice ripping me a new one, and the last thing was the throbbing of the hangover I had more than earned the night before.

"Pictures of me with Les Worth?" I was barely functional yet but through the fog the memory of flashbulbs intruded to sear my brain once again. They had seemed to be everywhere last night. Everywhere we were. It was strange. I was used to it, but it seemed really excessive for Louisiana.

"What? I'm sorry you threw up your breakfast, Sassa. No. No! I'm not seeing her behind Sookie's back. I'm not seeing her at all."

I rubbed my eyes, trying to clear my head in the process. "Fuck," I groaned. If Sassa could be induced to call me from overseas, then I had a lot of explaining to do and I'd better do it now.

"Sassa, I love you. Goodbye. Goodbye! What? Yes, you can kiss my ass next time I'm home. Oh, you said _kick._ Well then, no. Love you. Fuck off! Sorry. OK bye."

I let out a huge breath, which wasn't a great idea because the bed started to spin. I sat up gingerly, wincing at the pounding that was assaulting my head in earnest, before giving up and lying back down. I scrolled through my incoming calls to see that Sookie had called. Often.

_Fuck. _

I should never have gotten that drunk, and in fact, I didn't mean to, I remembered very little from last night, but what I did remember was being mind-numbingly bored. Les might be a good actress, but she was all 'me, me, me, and fame, and salary, and getting ahead, and who you know...and food? No thank you, I'll just have a water.'

_Wretch. _

That's just not what this business was about for me. If you didn't do it for the craft, you shouldn't do it. That was my opinion. Maybe Sookie and I were on the same page because we had both been child stars who had hit it big too young to care about the fame of it but old enough to hate the unusual level of attention. Having experienced that, we'd had to love the art of it to continue. I firmly believed that, for us, being successful was about having people see our work and having the means to pursue the projects we loved, and, at the end of the day, the means to enjoy our lives. Being photographed outside the Château Marmont was not on my weekly to-do list.

I dialed home and steeled myself for the hellcat of our early 'courtship.' After 10 rings I left a message that was rambling enough to sound guilty and then started looking for flights. I'd worked far too hard to win Sookie to let a misunderstanding come between us, and let's face it, if Sassa was calling me from Sweden, Sookie's reaction to whatever the fuck the photos looked like was bound to be worse. I wasn't whipped, I was manning up and taking care of my woman. And if all went well, I hoped to do that in more ways than one, if she'd let me.

An hour, a quart of water and 2 Advil later I grabbed my suitcase, stepped out the door and slammed right into something sharp and pointy.

"Hi," it panted. "Just getting back from a run. It felt great to work off last night's dinner."

_Yeah, all those waters really add up._

I didn't say anything. I was trying to piece things together. She was unmistakably braless and her shirt was sticking to her skin, leaving less than nothing to the imagination. Her shorts were just as bad – far too short to contain what little she had. Who went jogging like that? Not that it was much of a show. She was a pretty girl, but I liked an extra serving of woman.

She leaned against my doorframe, more than too close. I took a completely voluntary step back.

"So…last night was…" she said with a sly edge to her voice and a twinkle in her eye.

"Was…what?" I asked.

She looked momentarily off kilter. Good.

"Was…amazing," she crooned.

"Yeah, the margaritas were amazing. How was that Ruston water you had?"

"Uh," she looked caught off guard and then gave me a shot in the pecks that ended with her fingers splaying out across my chest.

I looked down at her hand and she removed it reluctantly, but with no shame.

"Oh you!" she tried. "You're so hilarious. Ruston water." She shook her head.

"Don't let it go to your thighs," I said, suppressing my usual humor. I had a bad feeling. This one wasn't going to brush off.

Her chin met her chest as she immediately scrutinized her non-existent thighs with alarm.

I instantly felt bad. She irritated and brought out the worst in me, but she was human and my joke had made her feel insecure. I realized how lucky I was to be with as confident woman as Sookie, because I knew that that wasn't the norm in society and less so in this industry. But something about this one and last night's dinner felt all wrong and I resisted the urge to console her because it would have required flattery and I couldn't afford to have any more misunderstandings in my life.

She bent down and picked up the newspaper and slammed it into my hand before striding away. I tucked it under my arm and hopped in the first cab I saw. I was sitting in the back seat, evaluating my waning migraine when the cabby spoke up.

"Hey. You that guy in the paper?"

"Pardon me?"

"In the paper…with Leslie Worth. You her boyfriend?"

"No," I said, a little too brusquely. "No, I'm not."

"'Kay" he replied, not convinced.

I opened the paper on my lap and fished through it to the small local section. It was bad. The pics were worse than bad. I had pulled out my customary _Eric Fucking Northgard_ expressions, in other words, dripping with smirking sex appeal, and she had her arm wrapped around my waist and was gazing up at me like a woman who had been making the O-face for twelve hours. It appeared that the paps had followed us around all night because in each successive picture I was increasingly drunk, which had permitted Les to wrap herself around me without a fight. She was such a lightweight I probably hadn't even felt her.

Fuck! I was so fucked. Beyond fucked. I'd never be fucked again.

Hours later, when I stepped out of the cab in front of the house, I noted that Sookie's car wasn't in Bill's driveway. I ran up the front walk and inserted the key in the lock, letting myself back into our haven. I hoped it would still be.

She wasn't there. Her photo shoot was at 10am this morning. She would be home by now, unless she went shopping, or out with a friend. Or…hell, how would I know? We hadn't spoken last night. I had no idea if she had other plans today.

I went to the answering machine and saw that the light was not blinking. My heart squeezed in my chest and I felt my hangover surge back, or maybe it was just nerves. She had received my message and she wasn't home.

This was not a good sign.

I called her cell and it went straight to voicemail.

"Sookie. I love you and I would never do anything to lose you. The pictures are absolutely not what they look like. Our experience with Lorena is proof of just how much pictures can lie. They can lie. I never will. Come home. I'm not going anywhere until you come home."

I ran my hands through my hair and it sent shivers across my still aching head. I went to the kitchen and grabbed a ginger ale and some more Advil. An hour later when it was clear Sookie wasn't coming and my headache wasn't going, I crawled into our bed. I pulled her pillow to my chest and tried to sleep this day away. Maybe everything would look different once the sun went down.

I slept soundly and when I woke, it was to the familiar weight of Sookie's head on my chest, my arms wrapped around her as if, even in sleep, they knew their way home.

I stroked her hair and she turned her sleepy face up to meet mine.

"Sookie, I – "

The words were kissed right out of my mouth and when she was done, there was this. "I know you love me, Eric. I also know about a million actresses just like her. And we both know the paparazzi."

"Thank you," I said with a relieved sigh. "Where were you? You didn't answer your phone."

"I was at O'Hare when I got your message."

I frowned.

"About to board my connecting flight to Shreveport. It was the only flight I could get on short notice."

I rolled her under me and showed every inch of her beautiful self just how much I adored her.

When we had finally gotten enough of each other, for now, we took to the couch with some boxes of Chinese food and the iPad so we could laugh at the photos.

"Why do you have so many windows open in the browser, lover?"

"Oh, it's nothing," she said quickly, hastily making to close them.

I snatched it back from her playfully to take a look. It was some sort of book, familiar and yet not. In fact, it was Alex and Anna in a very steamy encounter.

"What is this, a new book in the series? Are we going to get to film this together?" I waggled my eyebrows as I scanned my way through it.

"Uh no," she said in a low tone. "It's – "

Her answer was obscured by a cough.

"It's what?"

"Fanfiction."

**A/N: Thoughts? I love hearing from you all so much. Every review, favorite and alert just lights up my day. Thank you!**

**PS -thank you Ladybrie for the RTF tip - italics are all intact!**


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N: ****Thank you Northman Maille! You're so good at what you do and I'm enjoying troubleshooting my plot with you. Hugs!**

**A quick note to say, in all seriousness, that I don't wish to offend any naturally thin women. I know that they can bear the brunt of as many barbed comments as those of us who fight every pound. But in characterizing Les Worth I had to use the overwhelming public/fan perception of her muse, most of which is related to her weight and her (rumoured) penchant for alerting the paparazzi. So…more Les anyone? **

**Disclaimer: All characters are purely fictional and their sources of inspiration do not belong to me.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 20<strong>

We were really looking forward to the wrap party. It was everything the Premiere was not. As bookends to the season, the two could not be more different. Where the Premiere was a reward for those who would promote us, and necessitated hardcore schmoozing with industry insiders, hangers on and reporters – all to the pop of flashbulbs – the wrap party was private, low-key and a reward to us for our hard work. Sookie and I were not looking forward to spending any more time with Bill and Lorena, but at least she wouldn't have to pretend with such earnest, and we could go home and spend the rest of the summer together. Once I finished up in Louisiana that is, but I only had about 10 days left on that shoot. It couldn't end fast enough for me.

We arrived at the Sofitel Hotel and I stepped out of the limo, behind Bill and Sookie. He threw me a quick sneer before he slid his hand down her back and drew her a little closer for a photo op on their way in. I didn't need to return the look; Sookie's shudder was payback enough.

It still burned my eyeballs to see his hands on her. This whole situation was absurd. When Sookie and I were holed up in our love nest, the crazy fell away and we could forget about it, but moments like this made me realize just how much we were giving up by playing this ridiculous game. I decided then and there that it couldn't continue into next season. If Amelia couldn't get her father to give her the time, perhaps I could. Hell, I'd use my own father if I had to. I had to make this stop.

Lorena was glaring through the glass of the hotel lobby doors, barely keeping the beast under wraps. Maybe tonight she would crack and it would all be over with, the chips falling where they may, my career in tatters. Right now I barely cared. I fixed her with my best Alex Skarsman glare and drew up beside Sookie, wrapping my arm around her waist for a picture of the three leads. I gave her an extra squeeze, projecting all of my affection through my fingertips. Her body relaxed into me instantly.

_Mine. _

What a wonderful feeling it was. The rest of the world could go to Hell.

"Eric! Eric!" the tabloid reporters began to yell. "Eric! Give us a picture with your new girlfriend!"

Sookie and I gulped at each other, our eyes wide, but then hers were suddenly drawn to the left and became impossibly wider. She gasped and stepped back.

A reed-like arm snaked around my waist and I turned my head to find its owner.

_Fuck my life. Les Worth. _

The flashbulbs would have caught nothing but an astonished look on my face, so here was hoping that that meant none of them would make it to print.

I led her quickly into the hotel and spun on her. "What exactly do you think you're doing here? That stunt you pulled in Shreveport was appalling. Do you really think you can get away with it again?" I was barely able to keep my voice down.

"Don't get your Calvins in a knot, Eric," she replied testily. "Allen invited me. I'm shortlisted for the role of Crystal Norris next season."

Every profanity I'd ever learned, in Swedish _and_ English, poured through my brain. This show would be the end of me, one way or another. It was bizarre to feel so cursed and blessed at the same time. But I'd take Sookie at any price.

"Eric, my Viking Vampire God!" exclaimed Allen, sloshing a red drink in a martini glass, narrowly missing the front of my shirt. "Sorry! Close call. Gotta try the pomegranate Tru Blood, it's delish." He took a big slurp. "I see you're getting acquainted with 'Crystal Norris,'" he winked. "Not that you two are not already acquainted." He elbowed me in the ribs.

"Uh, actually we're just colleagues," I said.

Les pulled a sour face, which she morphed into a sly grin for Allen's benefit.

_Un-fucking-believable!_

"Ah," he said, laying his finger beside his nose. "Gotcha." He winked again.

"So, does Les have the role then?" I inquired.

"Oh! We're just dotting and crossing, aren't we dear? But no harm in getting the paps to shoot her out front and generate a little buzz for next season, is there? You two are causing quite the stir!"

_Kill me now. _

I leveled Les with a warning look and excused myself.

"Where are you running off to?" said Allen.

"Just have to get one of those drinks. It looks so good."

"Don't forget one for your girlfriend here," he winked. "Sorry about the Viking manners, Les," said Allen mock-apologetically. "I hope he at least gets the pillaging and plundering right."

I sighed and raised my eyebrows at Les to get her drink order.

She practically swooned. "A w-"

"Water," I finished for her.

"Oh, look, he knows his woman so well. Young love!" said Allen before bulldozing off into someone else's evening.

SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

And now here I was, stuck with not just Les, but Lorena too, while Sookie and Bill were being accosted by Allen. I was drowning out the inanity until I heard this tidbit:

"Remember all those dead animals the counselors kept finding?" asked Les, giggling. "I kept expecting to get attacked in our cabin. It was such a terrifying summer for me."

Lorena's laughter pealed alongside her apparent childhood friend but there was an hysterical edge to it.

"So, you two are old pals?" I asked.

"Oh yes," crooned Lorena. "We went to drama camp together from the time we were twelve years old. Les and I are the best of friends."

Les didn't look as sure of that but she smiled along with her. The plot just kept thickening. I wondered if it really was or if this was all coincidence.

Just then a ray of light came to save me. "Oh my God, look at this, Eric! Mashed potatoes in a martini glass. Fun!" said Sookie, taking my barnacle and her evil sidekick in stride. "You really should try them, Les. They're fantastic."

"Carbs are the enemy," said Les, before striding away.

Lorena smirked and made a show of eyeing Sookie's ass before catching up with her friend. I thanked the Gods that I wasn't born a woman. They were so cruel to one another, as if high school had never ended.

Sookie laughed so hard that she choked on her mouthful, and when she came up for air it was with red, teary eyes and a huge grin. Then she held one hand over her eyes and grimaced before bursting into laughter again.

"I've got to get some of those potatoes," I chuckled.

"No, it's….it's…"

I knitted my eyebrows in amusement.

"They went up my nose," she laughed hysterically and then crinkled her nose in the most adorable way.

All I wanted to do was grab her, tickle some more giggles out of her, and enjoy the moment. Again. This situation had to get fucking fixed, right the fuck away. Life was too short to miss enjoying these special moments – the moments where potatoes are flying out of your girlfriend's nose. Even with tears running down her face and potato dribbling out of her nostrils, she was the most beautiful woman I'd ever known.

"Gran would be horrified. This is so unladylike," she giggled.

I loved that she was laughing at herself, and I loved that she cared more about what her Gran would think than whether her mascara was running. Les Worth couldn't be more different. For the millionth time tonight, I had yet another reason why this sham had to end. I needed to show the world who I really loved.

SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

Sookie and I texted Amelia the second we walked in the door. What we got back made our hearts fall.

"Told him it was about Lorena & important & he says he doesn't have time. He'll see me at Xmas."

Sookie had shared with me that Amelia and her Dad didn't see eye-to-eye and sometimes fell out for periods of time, but it sounded like he was always there for her when it counted. This seemed like a delay tactic.

"No. I refuse to let this go on until Christmas. I want to take you home for Christmas."

"You do?" asked a suddenly very touched Sookie.

"There is a very small and very angry Swedish woman who will kill me if I don't. And my Grandmother will help her," I laughed.

Sookie smiled and nodded enthusiastically before she turned resolute. "Something is up and we need to get to the bottom of it, Eric."

"I agree," I said. "I had already thought I might go see Copley Carmichael. I think he invested in one of my Dad's movies, I could use it as an in. He's in New Orleans, right? I'll go when I'm in Louisiana finishing up the shoot."

"He won't see the connection right away. He knows I'm Amelia's friend, so he'd probably decline to see me too, but you could be there for any reason. It's a good plan."

"Now I just have to figure out what I'm going to say," I said.

"The truth makes a pretty good story," she suggested.

SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

"Mr. Carmichael will see you now," said a very no-nonsense Executive Assistant, the type any wife would be happy to have her husband employ.

I stood up and brushed the creases out of the front of my suit pants, did up the button on my coat and held my face in a neutral expression. I'd figure out how I needed to act when I got a glimpse at his personality. This business was all about people 'clicking'. I had a desperate need to click with this man.

"Hello, Sir. Eric Northgard," I said, extending my hand. "I believe you're acquainted with my father."

"Yes! More than acquainted – the crazy Swede had me naked in a sauna after three drinks and before the night was over I'd parted with several million dollars." He laughed and his good nature shone through.

"And was it worth it?" I asked, a twinkle in my eye.

"Oscar seems to think so. So, yes, absolutely. What can I do for you, Eric?"

"I'm not exactly sure, but I think you might be able to save my sanity and maybe even my career at the same time."

He frowned slightly, and his lips quirked up in a half smile.

"Is this a drinks kind of story?"

I puffed out a big breath. "Well, I might need one, I'm not sure about you."

He nodded thoughtfully and moved to the elegant wooden cabinet set in the corner of his office. He opened it to reveal very expensive looking bottles of amber goodness.

A stiff glass of Scotch was placed in front of me.

"I'm listening," he said, and tipped his chair back.

When I finished, he took a long gulp of Scotch and closed his eyes as if savoring the burn. He looked out the window for a long moment and then seemed to make a decision.

"Eric. You seem like a good man, like your father, and I want to help you, really I do, but I don't know if I can."

"Why not?" I asked. "She is your niece and she's probably unstable. She's also probably costing the production a ton of money, not the mention the personal cost. Why would you protect her?"

"I'm not protecting her, I'm protecting myself – from her," he said wryly.

I squinted at him.

"She is not my niece. She's my daughter."

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><p><strong>AN: I hope you enjoyed this chapter!**


	21. Chapter 21

**A/N: Thank you, everyone, for all of your support. I don't receive my sole encouragement from reviews**** – i****t feels equally wonderful to see the statistics of people reading from around the world. I'm grateful for every one of you.**

**Thank you to my lovely ladies! Northman Maille****,**** you did a superb edit on this chapter and it was a huge help. And Wylis, thanks ****hon ****for letting me know that I need to do a family tree update! Here it is:**

**Copley Carmichael and Carter Carmichael are brothers. Carter was disinherited when he brought home Yvetta. Grandmother "Gamma" Carmichael maintained a relationship with Lorena, and would have her granddaughters come to stay with her at holidays.**

**On with the show…**

**Chapter 21**

"I love my wife, Eric," said Copley Carmichael. "I _love_ her. Even after forty years, I'm crazy about her."

"I want that same opportunity, Sir," I said, appealing to his sentimentality.

Copley sighed deeply. "I was so young when it all happened, and I was a fool. Amelia's mother and I had been having trouble conceiving. It was making our relationship and our sex life very tense. Sex had become a duty. I missed the spontaneity…the rush. I loved her deeply, but I didn't have the foresight to see it as a phase. And then my brother Carter brought home Yvetta."

Copley got up to pour himself another drink, proffering me the bottle. I declined. I still needed my wits about me. He turned away from me to look out the window, seemingly lost in his thoughts.

I waited.

"Yvetta was hard to resist," he resumed. "She'd been trained, she admitted, as a prostitute who could drag secrets out of politicians. It was the cold war. She was a defector. She was also, unfortunately, underage, although I didn't know that until it was too late. When she came to me pregnant, and I refused to leave my wife – who was now also pregnant – she enumerated all of the different ways in which she could end my career, my family, and anything else that meant anything to me."

Copley removed his reading glasses and rubbed his eyes in irritation. "I agreed to support Lorena in secret. When the girl was 18 her mother sent her to me, fully schooled in the art of blackmail. I've been paying through the goddamn nose for it ever since. She's every bit as devious as her mother with some bad chromosomes thrown in."

"What's Allen's role in all of this?" I asked, curious.

"Oh God, you're not the only person beating down my door. I sent her to Allen to be 'mentored' as his assistant, which included shadowing him on the job, and the next thing I know, she's led the world to believe that they are lovers because they share a trailer. And then that wasn't enough for her, she wanted a role. When he didn't follow through on giving her the lead I thought it was all over for all of us, but I guess she decided a small role was better than derailing the whole production.

"Allen is furious," he continued. "It's killing his reputation. I had no idea he was pulling this wooing contract shit with Bill and Sookie, though. That beats any casting-couch story I've ever – "

I had to interrupt. "The dating contract was Lorena's idea. It was her ploy to get Bill to fall in love with her, but it backfired when Sookie put her name in for the role. And she had no idea her relationship with Bill was a sham – it _wasn't _for _her_. I hate that she has had to go through this. We just want to make it all right."

Copley took a big swig of his drink. "She was always crazy about that boy. I'm surprised Allen still went ahead with Lorena's plan even when he didn't cast her in the 'Anna' role. It's hugely unethical, but there's no doubt the relationship fuelled a lot of buzz and added to the ratings."

"But at what human cost?" I offered.

"Son, Hollywood has never been known for its morals. I'm not excusing him, but I'm not that surprised." He placed his empty glass on the table. "So, I believe your story, but can you see what I have at stake here? The mess I have on my plate?"

"I do," I admitted, although I was reluctant to. "What can we do?" I asked, finally cracking a little and running my hands through my hair. He was starting to look no better.

"Well, for starters, watch your back. But I think you need to somehow get more dirt on her than she has on us. Whatever that might be. If I can help you behind the scenes, let me know."

"You could start by talking to Amelia. She's really upset that you won't."

"I love Amelia, Eric. More than you know. I just know how headstrong she is and I can't anticipate how she'd react to this news. I knew she'd drag it out of me if she was calling about Lorena. Those two bear each other a special kind of hatred. I just can't afford for my wife to find out. It'll all fall apart."

"Give her some credit, Sir –

"Copley, please, call me Copley," he interrupted.

"Thank you. Copley, give her some credit. She's a very worldly woman, I'm sure she'd understand if you explained it to her like you did to me. And maybe she can help us."

Copley chewed on that for a moment. "Maybe you could, soften the blow for me? Prepare her, if you know what I'm saying?"

I nodded. I could tell her for him. Then when they had the conversation for real, they would both be prepared.

I was the one who needed to be prepared now. And when I was, Lorena had better be prepared for me.

SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

Sookie's skin was out in goose bumps from the breeze off the ocean, making the tiny blonde hairs on her limbs lift and sparkle in the slowly setting sun. She was radiant.

"You're determined to catch every last ray, aren't you, lover? Here, let me help keep you warm," I joked, draping my body across hers.

"You're blocking my sun!" she said, playfully batting at me. Sookie was serious about her tanning.

I took a second to examine the location of the sun in the sky. "At this time of day, the only tan I'm stopping you from getting is on the bottoms of your feet, the upper inside of your belly button, the far-too-clothed undersides of your breasts and your nose," I finished, placing a quick peck there, even though I had wanted to kiss my way through the list.

She giggled at that and sat up.

I scooted over beside her and wrapped the beach blanket around the two of us in an echo of our very first time sitting in this spot together.

"This is how it all began," she said, leaning her head against my shoulder.

"Actually," I chuckled, "it began when you showed your first evidence of needing a helmet."

"That was a false start," she said, "it really began here. That's when we both showed our real selves to each other."

"Are we ready to reveal the real truth about some other people?" I asked, "Because I'm ready to show our real selves – together – to the rest of the world. I hate hiding 'us'."

"I'm ready," she said with conviction. "Whether they are or not. Ames is going to freak out. But together we can all figure this out."

"That's why I'm out here. Her taxi will arrive in about a half hour. We should go in."

I helped Sookie shake out the blanket and we made our way, hand-in-hand, back to Bess' beach house that she had been kind enough to rent to us for the month. We'd been working hard to re-write history ever since.

SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

"She's what?" shrieked Amelia.

"Your half-sister," Sookie and I said in unison.

The string of epithets that Amelia let lose would have shocked a sailor. "I cannot believe my father slept with that gold-digging whore! And I'm sorry, but I refuse to be _that_ related to Lorena. No, I refuse to believe that I'm related to Lorena at all. It can't be true. I mean, look at her! We look nothing alike, and she's criminally insane!"

"She's right, you know," said Sookie, her brow creasing. "There is no resemblance at all. With the same father you'd think you'd see _some _similarities."

I had to admit that she was right. Where Lorena was tall and dark with an oversize doll-head, Amelia was petite, medium-fair, and very well proportioned.

"Is Yvetta very tall?" I asked.

"Yes," said Amelia. "She gets her height from her mother, but Yvetta doesn't have a blockhead, and she doesn't have a heart-shaped face. No one in my family looks like that."

"Maybe she was created in an evil lab?" snickered Sookie.

"An evil lab," said Amelia. "Sookie, you're a genius! We can test her DNA!"

"That sounds great, but how are we going to do that?" I asked.

"I have a friend who works on CSI Miami," said Sookie. "She's dating the technical consultant to the show. He's a real-life lab geek who specializes in DNA. But you'll have to wait to get your sample from Lorena. She'll be at _Shorehaven_ with Bill." She rolled her eyes dramatically.

"Hmm. Well, maybe that's a good thing, because I need Yvetta and Uncle Carter's samples too and they'll all be there." Amelia drummed her fingers on the corner of the couch and then shook her head. "No. I can't go down there, I've never been. The Compters are Uncle Carter's friends and our family really stayed away from Uncle Carter and Yvetta. The only place I ever saw them was when they picked up Lorena from holidays at Gamma's. There would be no reason for me to suddenly show up in the Virgin Islands."

"We have to think like script writers. How would Hollywood solve this problem?" I joked.

"They'd write a crazy plot where one of us dressed up like a maid or a driver or a cook and infiltrated Shorehaven as a spy," laughed Sookie.

"Don't laugh, that's perfect!" exclaimed Amelia. "My boyfriend Bob studied hospitality and hotel management, so he can make a bed as well as he can mix a drink. He was also a taxi driver for a stint. He's also completely unmemorable-looking, which is the perfect foil for his deviant interior," she said as an aside with a waggle of her eyebrows.

"He can't just show up though," I said.

"Sure he can. He's Bob. I got him to go to a kink party dressed as a black cat last week. He'll do anything on a dare. And he loves me," she smiled.

"You're in love?" asked Sookie. "That's wonderful!"

Amelia beamed. "Yeah, and I'm not letting homicidal Lorena kill my buzz."

**A/N: Thank you for reading! This is my second time writing a mystery, and I'm working on my pacing, so any feedback you can give me on whether it's rolling out too quickly would be helpful. And obviously if the mystery isn't tight – I'll need to hear that at the end, I might sob, but I'll need to hear it! Thanks everyone!**


	22. Chapter 22

**A/N: I'd hoped to post sooner, but we're switching computers here at home and it's made things difficult. Here it is! Thank you to my very good friend****,**** Northman Maille****,**** for her expert red pen and commentary that ****always leaves me in a fit of giggles****. **

_Previously…_

"_We have to think like script writers. How would Hollywood solve this problem?" I joked._

"_They'd write a crazy plot where one of us dressed up like a maid or a driver or a cook and infiltrated Shorehaven as a spy," laughed Sookie. _

"_Don't laugh, that's perfect!" exclaimed Amelia. "My boyfriend Bob studied hospitality and hotel management, so he can make a bed as well as he can mix a drink. He was also a taxi driver for a stint. He's also completely unmemorable-looking, which is the perfect foil for his deviant interior," she said as an aside with a waggle of her eyebrows. _

"_He can't just show up though," I said._

"_Sure he can. He's Bob. I got him to go to a kink party dressed as a black cat last week. He'll do anything on a dare. And he loves me," she smiled. _

**Chapter 22**

"You really think you need to do it to get the information you need?" Amelia said into the phone while Eric and I screwed up our faces.

Amelia furrowed her brow and took a deep, resigned breath. "OK, you gotta do what you gotta do," she sighed. "Just, for chrissakes, make sure you wear a hat." There was a long pause. "Very funny. You know what kind. Double them up."

"Ew," I said.

"Ick," said Eric. "You couldn't fuck Lorena with my dick if you tried."

"My God, peeps, what do you two think I am?" winced Amelia, as if the idea caused her pain. "He thinks he'll have to sleep with _Yvetta_ to get the information he needs. I think we've already established that sexual favors are her currency. Can't teach an old dog new tricks."

"Exactly how old a dog is she?" asked Eric.

"If you're imagining saggy tits, like, _an-orange-dangling-inside-an-old-sock_ tits, you'd be wrong. She's actually still got full-on stripper bod. She must have been in her mid-teens when the shit went down because she doesn't look a day over 39."

"But that would have been in your childhood," I said. "Your Gamma hasn't been with us for over ten years."

"I catch glimpses of her and Uncle Carter now and again. They tend to cruise the charity dinner circuit – looking for charity, no doubt," she scoffed. "And I was in Miami last year at a club when I saw her strutting around looking better in her clubwear than I was. I beat a quick retreat. I just can't deal with the crazy. I wonder if she was working? I mean, 'working girl' working," she mused.

"Sounds to me like they're _always _'working,'" Eric nodded meaningfully.

"Um, back to Bob," I said. "You'd really be OK with him sleeping with Yvetta to help us out? I'm so grateful but I feel just awful and you know it's not necessary, we can find another way."

Eric nodded vigorously. "I feel bad to have put anyone in this position. I hate it," he said.

"The only thing I feel awful about is the possibility of being related to Lorena. Don't get me wrong, I also want to help you guys, but not nearly as much as I want to help myself!" she laughed. "Besides, Bob and I are kind of open like that, y'know? We like to mix it up in the bedroom. Hell, don't forget, last month I watched him have sex with a handful of strangers dressed as big stuffed cats."

Amelia paused as she took in our expressions.

"It's like research for us!" she exclaimed. "We love sex, we just want to try it all and, you know, understand it all. We never could get our heads around the whole Furry Fandom, plushophile phenomenon, so I dared him to try it out, and he liked it."

"Should we be expecting any little plush kittens to show up?" I giggled.

"Oh enough. Just be glad he's more than willing to take one for the team," she said. "Now I'm going to get the hell out of here so you two can stop trying to muffle all that noise you've been making for the last three weeks…unless you'd like some company? I like giants," she waggled her eyebrows at Eric playfully.

"Mine," said Eric mock possessively as he clutched me to him.

"Go wild, kids." And with that, she blew us a kiss and sashayed out the back door of the beach house.

Eric looked at me intently for a moment and sighed.

"Not feeling it either?" he asked.

I shook my head ruefully and he joined me in the action.

"Was it Lorena, Yvetta or the plushophiles that killed the mood?" he asked.

"All of them?" I tried.

"So glad we're on the same page there," he said, giving me a big squeeze. "I love you to death, but I'm pretty sure I know how I'd react if you asked me to dress as a giant wolf."

SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

The first scripts arrived in October and Eric and I devoured them with disappointment as we realized that Allen was once again diverging from the books.

"I was so excited to film that Jackson scene with you," I whined.

"The one where your favorite vampire 'releases his essence' all over your back?" Eric teased. He sounded like he'd been reading some of my fanfiction. He stalked me from his end of the couch, climbing up my body to bury his face in the crook of my neck. "It can be arranged," he breathed against my skin.

I groaned.

"Walk me through it, Sookie," he crooned. "I don't remember how it happened. But you do, don't you, my naughty girl? You know _exactly_ how it happened."

I fidgeted.

He pulled back from me and regarded my burning cheeks, his expression heavy with lust.

"Fuck, I love it when I make you blush."

He brushed his lips against my flaming cheeks and ran his finger down my chest to the first button on my blouse. He popped it open with a flick.

"Well, if you're not going to tell me, then I'm going to have to guess," he whispered. "I think, in the book, she was in some very dainty underthings."

I was divested of my clothes with a slowness that made me ache.

Eric scanned my body with hungry eyes. "Yes, these will do just fine."

He pulled me into his lap and my back arched when my bottom came in contact with the rock hardness he was suddenly packing.

I rolled my hips and felt his fingers grip the skin at the small of my back with enthusiasm, but then his grip tightened, stopping my movements.

"No," he commanded. "That's not how it happened."

I groaned again, this time in a different spirit.

He plopped me down onto the couch and stood. In a few swift movements he shucked his jeans and t-shirt with a grace that was surprising for someone his size and settled back into the cushion next to me. It was the sexiest slouch imaginable.

"If memory serves, you have to sit here, " he said, spreading his legs and tapping the space he created.

I bit my lip and sat on the edge of the couch, about to scoot back into him when his hands clamped down on my hipbones, doing the work for me.

He growled.

And the rest went according to the text. You know how it goes.

SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

The ringing phone roused us from our post-shower nap.

"Oh, hi Amelia!" I chirped, suddenly very excited. We were eager for news from Shorehaven and so far, it had been as quiet as a Black Ops mission.

I focused on the news, while Eric tried his best to listen in, his hair tickling my neck unbearably. "Just a sec, I'll fill in your favorite giant," I giggled.

I shot him a look for being so pesky and shivered to get rid of the tickles. "Bob just got off the flight from the Virgin Islands. He was on the same flight with Bill and Lorena so he had to disguise himself as an Elvis impersonator." He's at LAX right now. Amelia's limo service is going to pick him up and bring him here. Amelia is on her way over," I said, turning back to the phone. I couldn't help but beam, even though my best girlfriend couldn't see it. "Great. We'll see you soon," I said, and ended the call.

Eric and I were a nervous and excited flurry of activity as we quickly dressed and put our home to rights. We'd moved from the beach house after our time was up, but Amelia hadn't come with us this time, preferring the boutique hotel lifestyle that put her a stone's throw from Rodeo Drive. I also think she took pity on our sex life, which was appreciated.

I whipped up some of my Gran's sugar cookies while Eric made a pot of coffee and stocked the fridge with some extra beer.

"It's not even noon!" I joked.

"We might need it," he said. "Or Bob might!"

Just then, the doorbell rang and Eric swung the door open to reveal the most ridiculous-looking, skinny Elvis we'd ever seen.

Bob was a treat. The ease with which he carried himself was completely engaging and it didn't even occur to him to remove the costume. He settled on the couch with a sugar cookie and a cup of coffee and we made small talk while we waited for Amelia to arrive.

We were dying for news.

Amelia burst onto the scene with a shriek as she threw herself at her economy-size Elvis. "Get that ridiculous stuff off, you big freak!" she laughed as she stripped his costume from him.

"Uh, Ames. No pants," he said, stopping her from pulling the sequined jumpsuit any further off his body.

And there sat Bob. Messy curly hair and a white T-shirt covered by a plaid short-sleeve button down. In no way what you'd expect of a sexual Lothario.

"What did she do to you?" exclaimed Amelia, pulling his shirt this way and that, inspecting about a million hickies and bite marks.

"What didn't she do to me," waggled Bob with a dreamy grin on his face.

"Gross!" said Amelia. "Don't tell me you liked it?"

"Liked it? How could I not? I loved it. She's trained in the arts, man," Bob shared a look with Eric, who tried not to react too much, but I knew that _Eric Fucking Northgard_ must have had his share of floozies.

"But she's completely crazy. I consider us adventurous," he said, pointing between himself and Amelia, "but she's completely Gong Show. The KGB taught her some kinky shit. There was this thing she did with her –"

"No details, please," cut in Amelia, grimacing. "How successful were you in 'infiltrating the KGB,'" she said with air quotes.

"Very," he waggled.

"That's not what I mean, Bob. We get it. You fucked her plenty, you animal," she gave him a shot in the arm. "Was your mission a success?"

"I hope so? It might be difficult. She confessed to me one night under… duress," he coughed, "that she was shaking down multiple wealthy families with this baby-daddy scam.

Amelia barely registered the surprising news. "Figures. I always wondered how they could afford such expensive cars and lived in luxury hotels when they weren't summering or wintering or freaking springing with some mogul's family or other."

"We might never find out who the father is," I said.

"I really don't care if I never find out," said Amelia, "as long as it's not my father. Did you get what you went there for, sweetie?"

Bob smiled and leaned over to open his carry-on. He pulled out three ziplock bags, labeled for Lorena, Yvetta, and Carter.

Amelia beamed. She grabbed her purse and sifted through its contents until she found her make-up bag, from which she extracted a cotton swab. With a panache only Amelia could manage, she swiped the inside of her cheek and asked, "Got a ziplock, Sookie?"

I tripped to the kitchen and got what she needed, handing it to my determined friend.

"The lab guy should be able to work out my dad's DNA from my sample," she said, handing the bag to me as I gathered up the others from Bob.

"Let's get this show on the road," said Eric. "Hey, by the way, how did you manage to worm your way into Shorehaven?"

I'd been wondering that myself.

"House Concierge," he said. "Apparently, anyone who is anyone has one these days. Butlers are so last century."

"How did you figure that out?" I asked.

"I made it up! But now everyone on their end of the island has one. You just have to laugh," he chuckled.

"Well I'm not laughing yet," said Amelia. "But I hope to soon."

So did we.

**A/N: Thanks so much for reading! Let me know what you think if you have a moment : )**


	23. Chapter 23

**A/N: Here we are! The penultimate chapter. I have most of the final chapter written, so it won't be long now. Thank you to my very good friend Northman Maille for her expert red pen and heaps of encouragement. **

**I was in a bit of a pickle. I was two chapters from the end, and while I knew the ending, I needed a nice climax (oh shush) before I could get there. NM's review gave me a perfect idea and I was back to the keyboard…so thank _her_! XO to you Northman Maille!**

* * *

><p><em>Previously…<em>

"_We might never find out who the father is," I said._

"_I really don't care if I never find out," said Amelia, "as long as it's not my father. Did you get what you went there for, sweetie?"_

_Bob smiled and leaned over to open his carry-on. He pulled out three ziplock bags, labeled for Lorena, Yvetta, and Carter._

_Amelia beamed. She grabbed her purse and sifted through its contents until she found her make-up bag, from which she extracted a cotton swab. With a panache only Amelia could manage, she swiped the inside of her cheek and asked, "Got a ziplock, Sookie?"_

**Chapter 23**

He was a really sexy geek.

"Paternity testing typically takes five to ten days as long as the samples have not degraded. I understand your need to keep this off the books, so I'll handle it personally, after hours," he said.

I took a deep breath and almost choked on my response. I was surprisingly emotional. I guess I just couldn't wait for this to be over.

He reached across the table and gave my hand a comforting squeeze. "Sookie, I know we don't know each other very well, but Calleigh filled me in on what's been going on, and I'm amazed at the investigation you guys have launched to solve your problem. The team at _CSI_ couldn't have done it better themselves. I bet you have the information you need right in these samples. We're going to get you all out of this."

I rummaged in my bag and found Amelia's card, which I handed to him. "Please send the results to her too, OK? Better yet, call her. She's dying to know."

We stood to leave and I felt compelled to give him a hug. "Thank you so much for helping us, and for coming to pick up the samples."

"It's no trouble at all, Sookie. I was meeting with the studio anyway. They're thinking about another spinoff."

"Like, _CSI __Nebraska_?" I giggled. "Sorry, I shouldn't joke. It's a great show. I just can't imagine how they could spin it off again."

"Don't worry. I thought the same thing. But this one would be about the lab side of investigating…kind of like _House_ meets _CSI_. I might try my hand at some acting," he said, grinning and grimacing at the same time.

I liked him. I hoped it worked out. "Good luck!" I said. "Don't worry; the business isn't usually this crazy. So much of it depends upon who you surround yourself with. Calleigh is so lucky to have you. I know you make her very happy."

"Hey, I'm the lucky one. The guy in the lab coat never gets the girl," he chuckled. "Well, since I appear to have passed the test, can I share a secret with you?" he asked, looking awkward and blushing slightly.

I was intrigued. "Sure. Of course!" I reassured him.

He reached inside his jacket and pulled out a black velvet jewelry box – a ring box.

I shrieked and grabbed it from him, and when I opened it my jaw dropped.

"It's perfect," I gushed.

SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

Allen was mad as hell. "This," he yelled, slapping a pile of newspapers and tabloids on the desk in front of us, "is unexpected. It's worse than unexpected, it's…it's…it's bad for ratings is what it is."

He was purple. I didn't know people could turn that color. I wondered if I should go get the portable defibrillator from the wall in the lobby. This was a stressful business. Sometimes it was needed. It might be needed now.

"You two are my star duo. You're my ratings darlings. Do not tell me you're going to marry this Fox Mulder look-alike and start pushing out little nerds, because Charlaine has written a fuckload of books and we have a good thing going here."

I raised my eyebrows. There was no textbook for dealing with this brand of absurdity and with everything in our lives being some kind of act or other, I had no clue what I was supposed to pretend anymore.

"Is the affair over, Sookie?" Bill asked, despondent to point of camp.

So he was actually going to play along with this?

"It never even _was,__" _I huffed. This was all so ridiculous. "He's a friend. Actually, I'd never met him before but he is getting engaged to my friend."

"Why were you meeting with him? Some of the pictures look as if you're giving him something. Baggies? What is going on here?" Bill pressed.

"It's not your business, Bill," I said.

"You are my girlfriend, Sookie. Your business is my business."

Allen stood abruptly and clapped his hands together. "I've got it! There's only one way around this that has us coming out on top without everyone always wondering," he pronounced.

I hoped he'd say we should publicly "break up" but that was unlikely.

"A wedding! A huge one! A California seaside extravaganza," he was getting excited – and purple – again.

Bill and I just stared at him.

"Yes, you heard me. Get married! Do it right away – this month, hell, next week if we have to. We have five great episodes in the can, and you two haven't had much screen time. We wouldn't want the rumors to take on a life of their own. It couldn't be better. We'll start the ratings off with a bang. I am a genius. I'll get the production crew started on it right away." He whipped out his phone.

"No!" roared a female voice as the door crashed open ricocheting against the wall with a loud crack and slamming back into place but not before letting in the devil herself.

"Lorena Krasiki. What is the meaning of this interruption? I'm in an important meeting here," Allen said, the bite falling out of his bark with each successive word.

"She cannot marry him!" she snapped, her eyes wild.

"And why the hell not?" asked Allen, his eyes tracking to the door which was opening once again with a groan, albeit with more calm.

"Because she's marrying me," came a melodic voice followed as coolly by the entrance of my Eric, his long legs stepping gracefully into the room.

He was wearing the blue T-shirt that began it all and his relaxed presence washed over me like a balm. That is until his words took root in my brain and my heart rate picked up. I gulped and blinked. "I am?"

"Unless, of course, you'd rather marry this one here," he said, jabbing a finger at Bill with a smirk.

I launched myself at him and wrapped my arms around his neck, breathing 'yes' into his mouth with every kiss, our teeth clashing in our excitement.

"Ratings fucking gold," moaned Allen, awestruck. "Anna leaves Stephen in the books for the Viking…Sookie leaves Bill in real life for the Viking." Allen pressed his phone to his ear, "I need a publicity team up here stat."

Why hadn't we thrown caution to the wind earlier?

"Not so fast, eggplant," raged Lorena.

Allen sighed, clearly emboldened by his sudden streak of good luck. "What now, Lorena? You know this domineering act of yours is really becoming a bore, and I don't think I want to put up with you anymore. The Viking here is getting more press, he's rocking the fashion shoots, and the ladies love him. You and Copley Carmichael can go screw yourselves. I'm going to back this horse. This is where the money is. Best day ever – _ever!_" He slapped Eric on the back and you could see the dollar signs lighting up in his eyes.

Lorena looked to Bill for support, and his sullen expression took on a predatory edge as they communicated wordlessly through some sort of evil telepathic network.

Allen was staying purple now as his excitement mounted. I wondered idly if high blood pressure was to blame. The term 'silent killer' didn't apply in his case as he was making a fair amount of noise. "Oh, this is a pot of gold!" he whooped.

"One you'll never see, Leprechaun," said Lorena. "Bill and I are also a couple and we are _also_ getting married," she proclaimed.

Bill looked surprised.

Allen's eyes widened and he looked like he was savoring the news on his pallet, tasting every note. He had grown surprisingly calm and his circulation seemed to be evening out. "Hmm. Interesting," he whispered. "So many angles, so many possibilities. Boy meets girl, boy hooks up with girl, girl meets another boy, boy meets another girl, they are all actors on the same show," he shook his fists in the air. "This is awesome!"

"Not so fast!" growled Lorena. "One word about Sookie and Eric and I post _this_." She thrust her phone in Allen's face, flashing him the notorious picture of Eric adjusting his supersized manhood in the graveyard.

Allen couldn't seem to shake his eyes away from the phone, and all color now completely drained from his face.

"Allen?" Eric tried. "Let me explain."

Allen took a deep breath. "Don't get me wrong, Eric. You're a fine actor, but you're in the wrong entertainment business," he sighed and slumped down in his chair. "Okay, right. Can't use this angle. Shit." His fingers raked at the scruff on his chin. "_Sex G__od __Viking __Vampire_ I can sell, _Pervert __Viking __Vampire_ I can't. Sorry, kid."

"But it's not what it looks like," pleaded Eric, running his hands through his hair in frustration.

"It doesn't matter, Eric. It never does," replied Allen. He knew the machine. He _was_ the machine.

Lorena squealed like a happy pig. "Oh William. We are going to be the new Hollywood darlings!" She planted herself in his lap and brushed her hands across his cheeks in adoration.

He looked up at her and for the first time I really believed that what they had was real. It was borne of rage but somehow their crooked natures were a set. He gripped her jaw with a possessive hand and pulled her into a deep kiss, "I'll never get enough of you, Lorena," he whispered.

"You'll never have to. I'm here, baby," she replied. It would have been touching if I didn't hate them.

"Now, Allen," she said, suddenly all business. "Your team is on their way up here, so our nuptials and our relationship are the big news. These two," she said, gesturing between us, "Not a word."

A knock sounded at the door and Allen cleared his throat before saying, "Come in."

The door appeared stuck and then creaked loudly as it cleared the frame. It was gingerly pushed open and now hung limply from one hinge.

In walked my best friend flanked by Bob, who would have passed for a very convincing security guard were it not for the mustache that sat askew on his top lip. I suspected an elevator had been well used on their way up here.

"Cousin! What are you doing here?" exclaimed Lorena. "How wonderful! You'll be the first to hear the big news! You remember William? William _Compter_? We're to be married! PR is on their way up right now. It's going to be big news!"

"Oh wow!" gushed Amelia. "That's crazy! Because I have big news of my own and I'm sure the papers would love to hear it!"

Allen's head was whipping from face to face, trying to figure out what had brought these unexpected visitors. Eric winked at me and tilted his phone in my direction, a text to Amelia still visible on the screen.

"What is it?" asked Lorena, obviously not sure she wanted to share the spotlight.

"You're about to marry your brother!"

And then, in dramatic punctuation, the door shuddered and fell off its hinges.

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><p><strong>AN: Thank you for reading! One more chapter to go and I'll have wrapped up this story. I'd love to know what you think of the mystery I crafted. Writers really need constructive feedback, so please don't hesitate to give it to me. Thanks! XO Cagey**


	24. Chapter 24

**A/N: Here we are, at the end of our journey. My family life has changed dramatically during the writing of this story and you have all been so supportive and have stuck by me through many delays. Thank you. Your support has meant a lot. You haven't seen the last of me : ) **

**My Betas, IWishIHadARiver and Northman Maille are a huge part of my creative process. An editor is a writer's best friend and I have learned so much from both of them. They have devoted a great deal of their personal time to this story and I can't thank them enough. Thank you, Northman Maille, for helping me bring this home. The final few chapters were tough and you gave me the spark I needed. xo Cagey**

**Without further ado…**

**(I don't own any of these wonderful characters.)**

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><p><strong>Chapter 24<strong>

"And now I'm going to have to go with _Pervert __Viking __Vampire_," said Allen. "_Pervert_ I have a least a chance of spinning, _Psychopathic __Brotherfucker_ I don't. Oh yeah, and here comes another 'I don't'…Bill I have to live with; you _I __don__'__t.__" _ He flicked his finger dismissively at Lorena. "Pack your bags, nut job."

Lorena shrieked like a Banshee. It was impressive in its range. "You can't just throw me off the show!"

"Hmm. No. You're right. I have to kill you and then throw you off," replied Allen, now cool like a cucumber instead of purple like an eggplant.

"William! Tell me this can't be true," Lorena whined in panic. She grasped at Bill like a child about to be separated from its mother.

Her frantic gaze flitted from face to face, meeting nothing but indifference.

"No!" she screamed. "You can't kill me off, I'm…I'm…"

"A secondary character," said Sookie helpfully. "Besides, you get killed off in the books at this point anyway, so really, it makes sense," she finished.

I couldn't help but think she was comforting Lorena, in her own way. Sookie's inherent goodness took hold in the oddest of situations. It was uniquely her, and part of why I loved her with something bordering on idolatry.

"Yeah, the books," emphasized Allen. "The books are my bible. The bible says you go. Even Copley can't do anything about that. It's in the Bible, baby. Read it and weep."

_Yeah __right. _I seriously doubted he had ever read them.

"William! Do something!" Lorena pleaded.

I could only imagine that the puzzle pieces of his life were snapping into place creating a sickeningly clear picture, but while you could see the wheels turning furiously, he didn't utter a word and whatever his true reaction, it wasn't evident.

Sookie's face you could read like a book, and I took it all in. It was a look of sweet relief mixed with a heady dose of vindication that I'm sure matched mine exactly.

I cupped her face in my hands, stroking her cheeks with my thumbs. "How do you feel about marrying a pervert, Lover?"

"I've never felt better," she giggled.

"Can we weather the media storm?" I asked. It was a lot to ask.

"After all of this? Absolutely. Bring it on. If that picture ever comes out I'll be the envy of every girl in town. It was worth going through everything we have just to see Lorena get her comeuppance."

"Her what?" I asked. My ESL was failing me.

"Uh, what's coming to her…her just deserts," she explained.

"Just _desserts_? That sounds positive. I'd think she doesn't deserve dessert," I answered.

"No, no," she said, in mock exasperation. "_Des_erts, as in 'what she _des_erves'…which is different from _deserts_, where cacti grow."

"Don't you mean 'cactuses'?" I asked.

"You, my hunky Swedish boyfriend, need my Word of the Day Calendar and maybe even an English lesson. I'd be happy to teach you."

"Mmm," I said, trailing my hand down her back and giving her bottom a discreet squeeze. "Will you put your hair up and wear glasses…and a skirt?"

"OK, pervert. Hands off," said Allen. "PR will be here any minute."

SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

"Brother and sister! But how did you know?" squeaked Sookie. It was a happy squeak.

"Well, half-brother and sister actually, but who is counting," said Amelia. "When the samples came back, we checked my DNA first and I'm definitely not related to Lorena in the slightest. She's definitely not a Carmichael. Thank fuck."

"How did you work out this bombshell?" I said, feeling both fascinated and repelled.

"Well, I was tempted to just stop there, but the desire to fuck with Lorena's life was just too great, so we looked at all the samples," said Amelia. "Turns out, the glass Yvetta drank from contained the DNA from _two _men, one of whom was Lorena's father."

A very animated Bob continued, "And then, Amelia asked me how that was possible and I remembered that Yvetta made Mr. Compter try her drink. I'd mixed her a Russian Sex Bomb. He was happy to try it."

"Well, then we can't be sure," I cautioned. "Who else could have gotten their DNA on Yvetta's glass?"

Bob coughed. "There were no other men on the island other than Bill, and he's too young to be her father. The only other possible DNA in Yvetta's mouth was mine."

Sookie's eyebrows lifted up into her hairline. "Oh, like…? Ew. Sorry, but, ew."

"That's not what she said," waggled Bob, earning himself a smack in the arm from Amelia.

"Wow. Bill led me to believe that his Dad was so old-fashioned," Sookie mused aloud. "Hey, he must have known about Lorena though. Yvetta must have been blackmailing him too, if they've spent every summer there since Lorena was born. So, how did he not freak out about Bill and Lorena being a couple?"

"They hid it really well," said Bob. "It was so obvious to me, but I think they had the rest of them fooled. They spent almost the whole summer sailing. Mr. Compter would always mutter about Bill spending time with her, saying he thought she was too low for his company and that he better not lay a finger on her if he valued his inheritance. Bill was always quick to wrinkle his nose, blame his father for the company he was forced to keep, and boast that he'd never marry anything less than a movie star. He's ambitious to a fault. He's pure ego. But he has the genuine hots for her, man. Or he did. Now she's just the world's biggest roadblock to his long-term career goals."

"Just, ew," said Sookie.

We all nodded in agreement.

SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

She was once again covered in gore, but this time, her mood was decidedly upbeat.

I was able to admire her openly from offstage, so different from the day that Longshadow had exploded on her. This time, there were no more unspoken words. This time, when I followed her to the craft services table it was to give her a congratulatory kiss, and we didn't care who saw it.

"How many times did you have to film the scene where you were about to stake Lorena?" I asked, laughing.

"Oh, my God. So many times! She was out of control. She kept changing the blocking and attacking me. It was more like high school wrestling. I swear she wanted to do as much damage to me as possible before she got fired. It's a good thing you and I have been doing so much wrestling," she said, biting her lip and leaning in close.

"No, no, don't touch! You're all…goopy. Sorry, but that stuff is awful – and obvious. I'm all for staking my claim, but I think I've done that adequately, don't you think? Or do we need more canoodling photo ops?"

"Ooh, 'canoodling photo ops,' great use of North American lingo, hunky foreigner. My English lessons are paying off," she teased, coming closer.

I playfully stepped back again, but growled, "Paying off is right. Next I'd like you to invest in one of those pointers, or maybe a ruler. I think I might start making some mistakes."

"You are so bad," she whispered, and before I could dodge her, she wrapped her goopy self around me and slid a slick hand up into my hair, pulling my face down to hers for an urgent kiss.

"Broom closet?" I panted.

"Unf," she replied. Which meant yes. Basically, for Sookie, any sound other than no, meant yes, and she never said no. Neither did I.

We slammed the supply closet door and I stalked her as she backed away.

"So...that famous picture…are you sure you weren't getting yourself off to my sex scene with Bill?" she teased.

I growled. "I was imagining myself with you, but I'd never get off on watching you with another man. I wanted to kill him."

"Because I want you to," she breathed.

I stopped dead. "Kill him?" I asked, confused. I was pretty sure she didn't mean it.

"No. Get yourself off. Now," she instructed.

"Yes, ma'am," I said in a low tone. I fixed her with my best _Eric __Fucking __Northgard_ panty-dropping stare and slowly inched my zipper down. It was hard, because I was. There wasn't a lot of give in these pants.

Even after all these months, Sookie still hadn't gotten over the novelty of my penchant for not wearing briefs. She moaned.

"That's it, Lover. Take a good long look," I taunted.

"It has to be a _long_ look," said sex kitten Sookie.

"How do you want me to touch myself?" I asked.

As if on cue, she started to blush. Fucking brilliant. Step One was complete.

"Lover?"

She chewed her lip a little.

"Like this?" I asked, laying my heft in my hand and sliding my palm down to the base, giving myself a squeeze.

"Gah," she garbled, squirming a little on the shelf she was perched on.

I stalled. Step Two would occur at any moment.

Sookie's eyes were glued to my cock.

"What next, Sookie. Tell me what you want to see," I prodded.

"Come here," she panted.

In one stride I was in her hot little hands, and her legs were wrapping around me. Step Two, check.

She needed prodding again, but of a different variety.

"Wardrobe?" I asked.

"No," she gasped, as I ripped her thong off her body and entered her in a single thrust. Step Three, make her scream. It wouldn't take long. It never did. We'd been playing this game for weeks.

"Ready for the walk of shame, Lover?" I teased as I went to open the broom closet door.

"Are you kidding? I love that everyone in the building can see you're mine. Unlike Bill and Lorena, we have nothing to hide," she said.

As we walked back through the set, everyone stood back to watch us pass. Since I was now completely covered in fake blood, our recent activity was blatantly obvious. Our friends were nodding and smiling and winking.

"I'm so proud that you're mine," I said.

She craned her neck up to lay a kiss on me and the production crew burst into catcalls and applause.

I drew Sookie in closer against my side, our blood-soaked shirts sticking together.

"Damn this stuff, huh? The worst," I said in a cool offhanded way to Alcide, motioning at my shirt. Sookie didn't see the wink.

The news of our relationship had come out and caused the expected sensation, but, lucky for us, the combined efforts of the Carmichaels and the Compters had kept Lorena cowed. She didn't dare release my photo or we would report their bigger scandal. Amelia had delighted in delivering that news. Her father was so relieved to have Lorena on a leash, he and Amelia were able to look past their differences and start fresh. We heard that Bob was regularly drinking Scotch with Ames' old man now.

We arrived home later than Bill to the now commonplace noise of his daily session with one of Los Angeles' many prostitutes. It was often an indoor/outdoor event, but we decided to brave the noise and catch a few final rays of the sun on the back patio.

"Oh, William," an unmistakable female voice mewled.

"Can't ever get enough of you, Lorena," Bill groaned back, the slap of flesh echoing against the house.

Our jaws dropped.

This moment was far too perfect to waste. "Time for my very own paparazzi moment," I said, launching off the chaise and sprinting as silently as possible towards the fence. I lifted my phone up and took a picture, checked it to make sure it was a good one, and winked at Sookie. "Insurance. Fucking platinum-level insurance."

"We need to move," said Sookie, her face screwed up tight, "or he needs to rent another place. And I need to rescue his dog from a dysfunctional home. At the very least we need a vacation. Don't show me that photo. My ears alone will take years to recover. That is just…ew."

"Does your Word of the Day Calendar have any synonyms for 'ew,' because you seem to use it a lot?"

She gave me a playful jab.

"Well, how does Stockholm for Christmas sound?" I said, wrapping her up in my arms and giving her temple a gentle kiss.

"How does a small, private wedding in Stockholm for Christmas sound?" she replied, admiring her engagement ring.

I kissed my answer into her lips.

_Perfect__._


End file.
